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Introducing ICRP Publication 152: Radiation Detriment Calculation Methodology
Radiation detriment is a concept developed by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) to quantify the burden of stochastic effects from low-dose and/or low-dose-rate exposures to the human population. It is determined from the lifetime risks of cancer for a set of organs and tissues and the risk of heritable effects, considering the severity of the consequences. As part of a thorough review of the system of radiological protection to assess the needs for update, the Commission established Task Group 102 on Detriment Calculation Methodology in 2016. The report of the Task Group was approved in November 2021 and has just been released as ICRP Publication 152.
This publication provides a historical review of detriment calculation methodology since ICRP Publication 26, with details of the procedure developed in ICRP Publication 103, which clarifies data sources, risk models, computational methods, and rationale for the choice of parameter values. A selected sensitivity analysis was conducted to identify the parameters and calculation conditions that can be major sources of variation and uncertainty in the calculation of radiation detriment. It has demonstrated that sex, age at exposure, dose and dose-rate effectiveness factor, dose assumption in the calculation of lifetime risk, and lethality fraction have a substantial impact on radiation detriment values. Although the current scheme of radiation detriment calculation is well established, it needs to evolve to better reflect changes in population health statistics and progress in scientific understanding of radiation health effects. In this regard, some key parameters require updating, such as the reference population data and cancer severity. There is also room for improvement in cancer risk models based on the accumulation of recent epidemiological findings.
Finally, the importance of improving the comprehensibility of the detriment concept and the transparency of its calculation process is emphasized. A webinar on ICRP Publication 152 has been made available on YouTube and can be accessed from the following link: https://youtu.be/tnzFIg0zq74. The webinar will give an outline of Publication 152. It will help understanding of the detriment concept and provide the basis for discussions toward the future Recommendations.