Contribution of the French Society for Radiation Protection to the current reflections on the possible improvements to the radiological risk management system.

Following the invitation from IRPA to comment on the article written by Professor Roger Clarke entitled 'Control of low-level radiation exposure: time for a change?', the Board of the French Society for Radiation Protection (SFRP) decided to set up a working group on 'controllable dose'. The latter, which worked from April 1999 to July 2000, consisted of some 20 members representing the stakeholders involved in radiological protection in France: authorities, experts and professionals from nuclear, medical and research fields as well as associated bodies. The working group first examined the current hypotheses on radiological risk and noted their relevance to the practical management of such a risk. Then a list of the different exposure situations and their associated characteristics was elaborated in tabular form, followed by a discussion on the situations when the system of radiological protection works well, less well or badly, particularly through the implementation of the general principles of radiological protection. The working group finally made proposals to ICRP for the evolution of the system in a more workable direction.