Preliminary Public Dose Evaluation in Support of the Development of the
November 2012
Rare Element Resources Bear Lodge Project
17
3.2.2
National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurement
NCRP Report No. 116
Limitation of Exposure to Ionizing Radiation
provides recommendations
for public dose limits that are essentially identical to the limits the NRC currently has in place
(NCRP, 1993). There have been no revisions to these recommendations.
3.2.3
National Academy of Science-National Research Council
At the request of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the NAS-NRC developed an
evaluation of guidelines for exposure to NORM (NAS-NRC, 1999). It concluded that public
exposure to NORM is no different than public exposure to other types or radiation, including
material licensed by the NRC, and that differences between agencies in regulating exposure to
NORM have no scientific or technical basis and are largely based on differences in policies for
risk management. It also concludes that ALARA is the most important concept for public
exposure to NORM or any radioactive material.
3.2.4
Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors
The CRCPD has developed recommendations regarding the regulation and licensing of
TENORM. These are contained in Subpart N of its
Suggested State Regulations for Control of
Radiation
(CRCPD, 2004). The CRCPD recommends that the standards for protection of the
public from TENORM comply with Subpart D,
Standards for Protection Against Radiation,
which are
consistent with NRC regulations for radiation protection.
3.2.5
International Guidance
The ICRP recommends in ICRP Report 103
The 2007 Recommendations of the International
Commission on Radiological Protection
(ICRP, 2007) that the limits of planned public exposures
to radioactive material be consistent with recommendations of ICRP Report 60
Recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection
(ICRP, 1991).
The public dose limits in ICRP Report 60 are as follows:
•
An effective dose of 100 mrem y
-1
•
An equivalent dose to the lens of the eye of 1.5 rem y
-1
•
An equivalent dose to the skin and hands and feet of 5.0 rem y
-1
The ICRP also incorporates the “optimization” component of radiation protection principles,
which is keeping radiation doses to levels that are ALARA.
The IAEA published occupational radiation protection guidelines in Report No GSR Part 3
(Interim)
Radiation Protection and Safety of Radiation Sources: International Basic Safety
Standards, Interim Edition
(IAEA, 2007). The IAEA recommends the same public dose limits as
those contained in ICRP Report 60 (ICRP, 1991), which are summarized above.
