It is recommended that:

6. The Federal agencies, as an interim measure, use radioactivity concentration guides which are consistent with the recommended Radiation Protection Guides. Where no Radiation Protection Guides are provided, Federal agencies continue present practices.

No specific numerical recommendations for Radioactivity Concentration Guides are provided at this time. However, concentration guides now used by the agencies appear appropriate on an interim basis. Where appropriate radioactivity concentration guides are not available, and where Radiation Protection Guides for specific organs are provided herein, the latter Guides can be used by the Federal agencies as a starting point for the derivation of radioactivity concentration guides applicable to their particular problems. The Federal Radiation Council has also initiated action directed towards the development of additional Guides for radiation protection.

It is recommended that:

7.

The Federal agencies apply these Radiation Protection Guides with
judgment and discretion, to assure that reasonable probability is
achieved in the attainment of the desired goal of protecting man
from the undesirable effects of radiation. The Guides may be
exceeded only after the Federal agency having jurisdiction over
the matter has carefully considered the reason for doing so in
light of the recommendations in this paper.

The Radiation Protection Guides provide a general framework for the radiation protection requirements. It is expected that each Federal agency, by virtue of its immediate knowledge of its operating problems, will use these Guides as a basis upon which to develop detailed standards tailored to meet its particular requirements. The Council will follow the activities of the Federal agencies in this area and will promote the necessary coordination to achieve an effective Federal program.

If the foregoing recommendations are approved by you for the guidance of Federal agencies in the conduct of their radiation protection activities, it is further recommended that this memorandum be published in the Federal Register.

ARTHUR S. FLEMMING Chairman, Federal Radiation Council

The recommendations numbered "1" through "7" contained in the above memorandum are approved for the guidance of Federal agencies, and the memorandum shall be published in the Federal Register.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER

May 13, 1960

REPORT NO. 1

background material

for the development of

radiation protection

standards

Staff Report of the

FEDERAL RADIATION COUNCIL

May 13, 1960

SECTION 1.-INTRODUCTION

1.1 It was recognized soon after discovery of x-rays that exposure to large amounts of ionizing radiation can produce deleterious effects on the human body so exposed. More recently, because of increased scientific knowledge and widespread use of radiation, additional attention has been directed to the possible effects of lower levels of radiation on future generations. Various scientific bodies have made recommendations to limit the irradiation of the human body. Probably the oldest of such scientific bodies are the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and the U. S. National Committee on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP). Initially, these bodies were interested primarily in the irradiation of those exposed occupationally, but recently they have been concerned with those who are nonoccupationally exposed.

1.2 The ICRP was formed in 1928 under the auspices of the International Congress of Radiology. It is now a Commission of the International Society of Radiology. This Commission has published recommendations about every three years except for the period 1938-49.

1.3 The NCRP was initially organized as the "Advisory Committee on X-ray and Radium Protection." The initial membership included representatives from the medical societies, xray equipment manufacturers, and the National Bureau of Standards. After the reorganization in 1946, the name was changed to the National Committee on Radiation Protection and Measurements, and additional representatives from other organizations having scientific interest in the field were included. The recommendations of this group have generally been published as National Bureau of Standards handbooks. Since 1947, 15 such handbooks have been made available on different aspects of the protection problem.

1.4 In 1956, the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council published reports of its Committees on the Biological Effects of Atomic Radiation. For genetic protection this group recommended a maximum gonadal dose up to age 30 both for individual radiation workers and for the entire population. These committees published a revised report in 1960.

1.5 The recommendations of the NCRP, ICRP, and NAS-NRC are in rather close agreement. The recommendations of the NCRP have received wide acceptance in the United States.

1.6 In 1955, The United Nations established a Scientific Committee on The Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR). The report of this group (UNSCEAR, 1958) summarized the current knowledge on effects of radiation exposure and on human exposure levels. The report also contained predictions on exposures from testing of nuclear devices under various assumptions. 1.7 The Joint Committee on Atomic Energy of the Congress held public hearings in 1957 on "The Nature of Radioactive Fallout and Its Effects on Man." The same committee held hearings in 1959 on "Industrial Radioactive Waste Disposal;" on "Employee Radiation Hazards and Workman's Compensation;" on "Fallout from Nuclear Weapons Tests;" and on "Biological and Environmental Effects of Nuclear War." In all these hearings, questions of the biological effects of radiation and of protection against excessive exposure to radiation received attention. 1.8 The Federal Radiation Council was formed in 1959 (Public Law 86-373) to provide a Federal policy on human radiation exposure. A major function of the Council is to ". . . advise the President with respect to radiation matters, directly or indirectly affecting health, including guidance for all Federal agencies in the formulation of radiation standards and in the establishment and execution of programs of cooperation with States...." This staff report is a first step in carrying out this responsibility. As knowledge of the biological effects of radiation increases, and as factors making exposure to radiation desirable undergo change, modifications and amplifications of the recommendations of this staff report probably will be required.