Radiation detriment: its quantification and use in setting standards.

At the end of 1990 the International Commission on Radiological Protection adopted new recommendations for the control of exposure to ionizing radiation. The main reasons for the revision of existing standards were first, the new estimates of the risks associated with exposure and second, the need to develop a conceptual framework that covered not only occupational exposures but also radon in homes and the consequences of accidents. This paper addresses these issues and shows how the definition of radiation detriment is used to set new standards in a System of Radiological Protection.