Protection against Natural Radiation at Home and at Work Exclusion, Practice, Intervention - Theory and Practice

The issues related to protection against natural radiation at home and at work are addressed in the last fifteen years by various international organizations, professional bodies and national laws and regulations. The ICRP and the IAEA outlined theoretical principles, basic recommendations and some practical instructions for the classification of exposure situations to natural radiation sources into those that are dealt in the framework of practices and interventions and those that are excluded from the framework because they are un-amenable to control. However, in many practical cases, this classification appears to be a complex task, which has to be tackled by the national competent authorities in each country. When trying to convert the principles and guidance outlined by the international bodies into national regulations and practical instructions, we discover that some issues are undecided upon and guidance is lacking relating to sources and practices that were not explicitly addressed. Furthermore, some ambiguities in the principles and guidelines can be detected and difficulties encountered in their implementation. The recommendations and instructions of the ICRP and the IAEA related to natural radiation sources and chronic exposure and their interpretation by the European Commission are reviewed and analyzed. Their implications on the possible ways to handle issues such as the protection against radon at home and at work, the limits to be set on natural radioactive substances in building materials and the radiation risks related to the phosphate and coal ash industries are discussed. Recent decisions of the competent authorities in Israel and Israeli regulations and standardization related to some of these issues are presented.