Who’s Empowered to Protect? How Are They Empowered? What Do They Need to Know?

摘要

In 1996, the author published a paper entitled “Ten Principles and Ten Commandments of RadiationProtection.” That paper recognized that radiation protection consists of far more than “time, distance, and shielding,”notions that can be acted on by workers to manage external irradiation, but that are of little use for the prevention ofintakes of radioactive materials. The paper encompassed the entirety of radiation protection, including actions thatmay be taken at many levels (commandments) and the principles on which they are based. This paper expands theprevious paper by further specifying who can take actions, where their empowerment comes from, and whatknowledge is needed to act appropriately. Who is empowered to take radiation protection actions? Depending on thecircumstances, it can be workers, managers, health care professionals, regulators, legislators, law enforcementpersonnel, first responders, and/or individual members of the public. How are individuals or groups empowered totake protective actions? Their empowerment comes from many sources, including self-preservation; education andtraining; administrative procedures; posting and labelling; provision and use of personal protective equipment; design,creation, and maintenance of engineered barriers; medical care; treaties, laws, regulations, recommendations, andguidance. Examples of hitherto unknown radiological hazards being discovered and subsequently managed areprovided. The basis for radiation protection action is knowledge of the radiological situation. What do individuals orgroups need to know to choose the correct course of action? The answers to this question differ as widely asapproaches to managing radiation risks listed in the 1996 paper. This paper ends with a systematic analysis ofinformation needs for radiation protection.