THE ROLE OF SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTIONS

摘要

The topic that I was requested to address at this NEA seminar is the role (i.e., what is expected to be done) by institutions (i.e., organisations for the promotion of a public object) of a scientific nature (assisted by expert knowledge), with regard to a better integration of radiation protection in modern society. Thus, in defining the scope of the paper, it seems to be necessary to ask ourselves a number of questions: 1. The role we seek should be aimed at an objective: What is this objective? 2. Is it to solve a radiation protection problem? 3. What is the problem? 4. Is such problem a better integration of radiation protection in society...integration for what purpose?.. .for the purpose of achieving society's credibility ? 5. Credibility of whom?...the radiation protection experts?...the radiation protection science?...the nuclear safety regulators?.. .the nuclear industry? In identifying the role of scientific institutions, we should keep these questions in mind. Although scientific institutions can be classified in a number of ways, for the purpose of this presentation I will presuppose the essential classification: 1. national scientific institutions: (i.e. national and local regulatory bodies; research and advisory institutes, academia, professional and other societies); and 2. supra-national ones (i.e. international organisations, regional agencies, global charities, associations of professional societies and non-governmental organisations [NGOs]). With this classification in mind, would it be possible to integrate radiation protection in society today purely from a national perspective or does globalisation require fundamental radiation protection issues to be resolved internationally? The first premise of this paper is that fundamental radiation protection in society today should be integrated from an international perspective. Scientific institutions which have a role to play in radiation protection can exist at a governmental level (multinational organisations, national and local regulatory bodies, research and advisory institutes, academia, professional societies) and at a non-governmental level (NGOs, international charities, associations of professional societies). Keeping this perspective in mind, would it be possible to integrate radiation protection into society from a purely governmental or nongovernmental perspective or is radiation protection policy now evolving from a "decide-announce-defend" authoritative attitude into a consensus-among-all-stakeholders stance? The second premise of this paper is that integration of radiation into society requires: 1. scientific plausibility on the health effects attributable to radiation exposure, 2. technical agreement on the desirable level of radiation protection, and 3. local and global social harmony. This paper's view is that at least the two first points require international agreements. From the perspectives indicated, current international institutions address radiation protection issues as follows: 1. The scientific state-of-the-art knowledge of the health effects of radiation is provided by: (1). the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) at the international non-governmental level, and (2). the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) at the international governmental level. (UNSCEAR's functions are to assess the estimates, levels and effects of radiation and report on these to the UN General Assembly.) 2. Technical agreement on the desirable level of radiation protection are: (1). formally established by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in collaboration and co-operation with other organisations in the UN family, at the international governmental level. In summary, the de facto scientific radiation protection institutions at an international level are the ICRP (non-governmental), UNSCEAR (governmental) and the IAEA, acting together as an international forum. They will be the focu