Ionising radiation has been used for over a century for peaceful purposes, revolutionising health care and promoting well-being through its application in industry, science, and medicine. For almost as long, the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) has promoted understanding of health and environmental risks of ionising radiation and developed a protection system that enables the safe use of ionising radiation in justified and beneficial practices, providing protection from all sources of radiation. However, we are concerned that a shortage of investment in training, education, research, and infrastructure seen in many sectors and countries may compromise society’s ability to properly manage radiation risks, leading to unjustified exposure to or unwarranted fear of radiation, impacting the physical, mental, and social well-being of our peoples. This could unduly limit the potential for research and development in new radiation technologies (healthcare, energy, and the environment) for beneficial purposes. ICRP therefore calls for action to strengthen expertise in radiological protection worldwide through: (1) National governments and funding agencies strengthening resources for radiological protection research allocated by governments and international organisations, (2) National research laboratories and other institutions launching and sustaining long-term research programmes, (3) Universities developing undergraduate and graduate university programmes and making students aware of job opportunities in radiation-related fields, (4) Using plain language when interacting with the public and decision makers about radiological protection, and (5) Fostering general awareness of proper uses of radiation and radiological protection through education and training of information multipliers. The draft call was discussed with international organisations in formal relations with ICRP in October 2022 at the European Radiation Protection Week in Estoril, Portugal, and the final call announced at the 6th International Symposium on the System of Radiological Protection of ICRP in November 2022 in Vancouver, Canada.

Experience suggests that current nuclear accident response planning in European countries mostly has a technical focus, with less attention paid to social, psychological and ethical issues. Information provided tends to be directed towards decisions made by experts, rather than for the support of affected populations. The SHAMISEN (Nuclear Emergency Situations - Improvement of Medical And Health Surveillance) consortium, composed of close to 50 experts from 10 countries, performed a critical review of current recommendations and experiences regarding dose assessment and reconstruction, evacuation decisions, long-term health surveillance programmes and epidemiological studies. The review included case studies and lessons drawn from the living conditions and health status of populations affected by the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents, taking an integrative approach to health and well-being. Based on this work, SHAMISEN developed a series of comprehensive recommendations aimed at improving the preparedness, response, long-term surveillance and living conditions of populations affected by past or future radiation accidents, in a manner responding to their needs, while minimising unnecessary anxiety.

The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) has embarked on a process to review and revise the current System of Radiological Protection (‘the System’). To stimulate discussion, the ICRP published two open-access articles: one on aspects of the System that might require review, and another on research that might improve the scientific foundation of the System. Building on these articles, the ICRP organized a Workshop on the Future of Radiological Protection as an opportunity to engage in the review and revision of the System. This digital workshop took place from 14 October–3 November 2021 and included 20 live-streamed and 43 on-demand presentations. Approximately 1500 individuals from 100 countries participated. Based on the subjects covered by the presentations, this summary is organized into four broad areas: the scientific basis, concepts and application of the System; and the role of the ICRP. Some of the key topics that emerged included the following: classification of radiation-induced effects; adverse outcome pathway methodologies; better understanding of the dose–response relationship; holistic and reasonable approaches to optimization of protection; radiological protection of the environment; ethical basis of the System; clarity, consistency and communication of the System; application of the System in medicine and application of the principles of justification and optimization of protection.

Decades of research to understand the impacts of various types of environmental occupational and medical stressors on human health have produced a vast amount of data across many scientific discipl...

In 2015 the United Nations issued 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) addressing a wide range of global social, economic, and environmental challenges. The main goal of this paper is to provide an understanding of how the current System of Radiological Protection relates to these SDGs. In the first part it is proposed that the current System of Radiological Protection is implicitly linked to sustainable development. This is substantiated by analysing the features of the current System as set out by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) in its publications. In the second part it is proposed that sustainability should be considered and more explicitly addressed in the next ICRP general recommendations, as part of the currently ongoing review and revision of the current System. A few examples are given of how this could be realised, and it is proposed that this issue should be discussed and developed together with the international community interested in radiological protection.

Lessons from the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant accident emphasize the difficulties for restoring the socio-economic activities in the affected areas. Among them, a series of radioligical protection challenges were noted, in particular concerning the protection of employees, the securing of the production and the guarantee provided to consumers of the radiological monitoring of products to restore their confidence. Based on case studies reporting the experience of employers deploying their activities in affected areas, an analysis of these radiological protection challenges has been performed. Characterizing the radiological situation was not always straightforward for the managers. With the help of radiological protection experts, protective actions have been identified and specific efforts have been devoted to provide information to employees and their families helping them to make their own judgement about the radiological situation. Respecting the decisions of employees and developing a radiological protection culture among them have proved to be efficient for restoring the business activities. Continuing or restoring the production not always manageable. It requires to develop dedicated radiological monitoring processes to ensure the radiological protection of workers and the quality of the production. Re-establishing the link with the consumers and organising the vigilance on the long-term were necessary for companies to maintain their production or develop new ones. Deploying a socio-economic programme for ensuring the community resilience in affected areas requires the adoption of governance mechanisms respecting ethical values to ensure the overall objective of protecting people and the environment against the risks of ionizing radiation and contributing to provide decent living and working conditions to the affected communities. It is of primary importance to rely on the involvement of local communities in the elaboration and deployment of the socio-economic activities with due considerations for ensuring the integrity of the communities, and respecting their choices.