Principal inferences from studies of radiobiological effects for radiation protection purposes

The most recent Recommendations (Publication 103) issued by the International Commission for Radiological Protection (ICRP) are based on the data that have been published since 1990 up to now. The basic task of the ICRP Committee 1 was to formulate the key implications of studies on radiobiological effects for the purposes of radiological protection. Presented in the paper are the new achievements in the field of biology, radiobiology and radiation epidemiology which were taken into account by the ICRP in the process of Publication 103 preparation. The Recommendations provide present-day values of weighting factors for radiation exposure and tissue weighting factors, as well as radiation detriment and radiogenic risk factors for cancer and genetic diseases. Also considered are tissue reactions to radiation exposure, consequences of in utero exposure and the risks of developing non-cancer diseases for exposed individuals. It should be noted that the key inferences and recommendations are to a considerable degree related to biological effects accounted for by acute and chronic exposure to ionizing radiation in the range of small doses (up to 100 mSv).