In the aftermath of an attack, the main aim of radiological protection must be to prevent the occurrence of acute health effects attributable to radiation exposure (termed 'deterministic' effects) and to restrict the likelihood of late health effects (termed 'stochastic' effects) such as cancers and some hereditable diseases. A supplementary aim is to minimise environmental contamination from radioactive residues and the subsequent general disruption of daily life.

The report notes that action taken to avert exposures is a much more effective protective measure than protective...

This report considers the evidence relating to cancer risk associated with exposure to low doses of low linear energy transfer radiation, and particularly doses below current recommended limits for protection of radiation workers and the general public. The focus is on evidence regarding linearity of the dose-response relationship for all cancers considered as a group, but not necessarily individually, at low doses the so-called linear, non-threshold (LNT) hypothesis]. It looks at the possibility of establishing a universal threshold dose below which there is no risk of radiation-related...

This report compiles the various numerical protection level values published by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) since its 1990 Recommendations (Publication 60). Several terms are used to denominate the protection levels: individual dose limit, 'maximum' individual dose, dose constraint, exemption level, exclusion level, action level, or intervention level. The reasons provided by the Commission for selecting the associated numerical values is quoted as far as available. In some cases the rationale is not totally explicit in the original ICRP report concerned; in...