Aims and Goals of the Icru and Other International-organizations With Respect To Patient Radiation Protection

After a short historical review, the goals of the ICRU are first presented: definition of quantities and units to be used in the field of ionising radiation, recommendations of measurement procedures for these quantities, definitions of terms and concepts, and investigation and selection of physical parameters. As far as the other international organisations are concerned, some of the main achievements are briefly presented for the IEC, UNSCEAR, ICRP, WHO and IAEA. Besides technical developments and dosimetric intercomparisons, the importance of the education and of the continuous information of the radiologists is stressed. The role played by the CEC in education is recognised in the field of radiation protection in diagnostic radiology

Radiation quantities, units and measurements Final report 1999

The determination of human exposure to radiation and radioactivity, whether arising from environmental exposures, medical practice or industrial activities, requires a fundamental set of quantities and units with which exposures can be specified and the means and ability to make measurements which yield results in terms of these quantities and units. Radiation protection then, as well as effective use of radiation in medical applications, requires the capability to accurately quantify the characteristics and extent of radiation exposure, so that appropriate and useful assessments of the potential health consequences and risks, whether for protection of the public and workers or for diagnosis and treatment of disease, can be formulated. The work carried out via this concerted action on ''Radiation quantities, units and measurements'' has addressed these needs. Measurement of radiation is a complex subject and is a science in itself. Yet many users of radiation who need to make radiation measurements cannot be expected to become experts in this particular field. They need authoritative guidance on how to deal with the measurement problems connected with their particular use of radiation. The work carried out pursuant to this concerted action has resulted in publications that meet this need. Important achievements include the publication of seven new ICRU reports, the completion of all but the printing of three other ICRU reports, completion of the drafting work on two other reports, the development of many others reports and the initiation of seven new activities that will result in ICRU reports representing important future contribution to the needs identified in this project. (orig.)SIGLEAvailable from TIB Hannover: RO 2674(15/00) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekCommission of the European Communities, Brussels (Belgium). Directorate General for Science, Research and Development. Radiation Protection ProgrammeDEGerman