Attribution of Radiation Health Effects and Inference of Radiation Risks: Considerations for Application of the IAEA Safety Standards

By IAEA

This Safety Report explains how the concepts of attribution of health effects and inference of risks can be taken into account in the application of IAEA safety standards, so as to implement them more effectively. In particular, this publication demonstrates explicitly what the relevant provisions of the safety standards are for high and moderate levels of exposure where health effects might be able to be attributed to the exposure, and for low and very low levels of exposure where risks can only be inferred. This Safety Report also aims to support more effective communication by clarifying the proper use of certain concepts detailed in the safety standards and plain language explanations of the concepts of attribution of effects and inference of risk are provided.

• Language: English
• Publisher: International Atomic Energy Agency
• Release date: Oct 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9789201344236

Book preview

1.png

ATTRIBUTION OF

RADIATION HEALTH

EFFECTS AND INFERENCE

OF RADIATION RISKS

SAFETY REPORTS SERIES No. 122

ATTRIBUTION OF

RADIATION HEALTH

EFFECTS AND INFERENCE

OF RADIATION RISKS

CONSIDERATIONS FOR APPLICATION OF THE IAEA SAFETY STANDARDS

INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY

VIENNA, 2023

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

All IAEA scientific and technical publications are protected by the terms of the Universal Copyright Convention as adopted in 1952 (Berne) and as revised in 1972 (Paris). The copyright has since been extended by the World Intellectual Property Organization (Geneva) to include electronic and virtual intellectual property. Permission to use whole or parts of texts contained in IAEA publications in printed or electronic form must be obtained and is usually subject to royalty agreements. Proposals for non-commercial reproductions and translations are welcomed and considered on a case-by-case basis. Enquiries should be addressed to the IAEA Publishing Section at:

Marketing and Sales Unit, Publishing Section

International Atomic Energy Agency

Vienna International Centre

PO Box 100

1400 Vienna, Austria

fax: [phone]

tel.: [phone]

email: [e-mail]

www.iaea.org/publications

© IAEA, 2023

Printed by the IAEA in Austria

October 2023

STI/PUB/2026

IAEA Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

Names: International Atomic Energy Agency.

Title: Attribution of radiation health effects and inference of radiation risks : considerations for application of the IAEA safety standards / International Atomic Energy Agency.

Description: Vienna : International Atomic Energy Agency, 2023. | Series: IAEA safety report series, ISSN 1020-6450 ; no. 122 | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: IAEAL 23-01603 | ISBN 978–92–0–134523–3 (paperback : alk. paper) | ISBN 978–92–0–134323–9 (pdf) | ISBN 978–92–0–134423–6 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Radiation — Health aspects. | Radiation — Safety measures. | Radiation — Safety regulations.

Classification: UDC 614.876 | STI/PUB/2026

FOREWORD

In 2012, the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) presented a report to the United Nations General Assembly in which it clarified the scientific knowledge regarding the attribution of health effects to radiation exposure and the inference of risks from a radiation exposure that has been received. The UNSCEAR 2012 report distinguished between three types of radiation exposure: (i) radiation exposure at a high level, for which a health effect in an individual can be attributed to the exposure;

(ii) radiation exposure at a moderate level, for which an increased incidence of health effects in a population can be attributed to the exposure; and (iii) radiation exposure at low and very low levels, where effects — either at an individual or at a population level — cannot be attributed to the exposure, and instead the risks can only be inferred.

The IAEA safety standards provide principles, requirements and recommendations that are intended to be used to protect people and the environment from harmful effects of ionizing radiation. They do this on the basis of inferred risks — both risks that exist in normal circumstances and risks that could arise as a consequence of an accident — but they are generally not formulated in terms of health effects that could be attributed to radiation exposure.

This Safety Report explains how the concepts of attribution of health effects and inference of risks can be taken into account in the application of the safety standards, so as to implement them more effectively. In particular, this publication explains the relevant provisions of the safety standards for high and moderate levels of exposure, where health effects might be able to be attributed to the exposure, and for low and very low levels of exposure, where risks can only be inferred. This Safety Report also supports more effective communication by clarifying the proper use of certain concepts relating to radiation risks and by providing a plain language explanation of the concepts of attribution of effects and inference of risks.

The IAEA is grateful for the contributions of all those who were involved in the drafting and review of this report. The IAEA officer responsible for this publication was K. Asfaw of the Office of Safety and Security Coordination.

EDITORIAL NOTE

Although great care has been taken to maintain the accuracy of information contained in this publication, neither the IAEA nor its Member States assume any responsibility for consequences which may arise from its use.

This publication does not address questions of responsibility, legal or otherwise, for acts or omissions on the part of any person.

Guidance provided here, describing good practices, represents expert opinion but does not constitute recommendations made on the basis of a consensus of Member States.

The use of particular designations of countries or territories does not imply any judgement by the publisher, the IAEA, as to the legal status of such countries or territories, of their authorities and institutions or of the delimitation of their boundaries.

The mention of names of specific companies or products (whether or not indicated as registered) does not imply any intention to infringe proprietary rights, nor should it be construed as an endorsement or recommendation on the part of the IAEA.

The IAEA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third party Internet web sites referred to in this book and does not guarantee that any content on such web sites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

The authoritative versions of the publications are the hard copies issued and available as PDFs on www.iaea.org/publications.To create the versions for e-readers, certain changes have been made, including the movement of some figures and tables.

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background

1.2. Objective

1.3. Scope

1.4. Structure

2. RISK RELATED CONCEPTS

2.1. Attribution of health effects to past radiation exposures

2.2. Inference of health risks from radiation exposures

2.3. Estimation of health effects for comparative purposes

3. BASIS OF THE SAFETY STANDARDS

3.1. Purpose of the safety standards

3.2. Development and use of the safety standards