Legislation and regulations related to radiological protection

Abstract

The legislation and regulations dealing with radiological protection vary quite considerably from one country to another and are often intimately linked with other legislation, dealing, for instance, with the control of nuclear energy. It is not possible, therefore, to give an account of all the relevant national regulations in this book and readers who require further information on the regulatory position in a particular country should consult the bibliography. However, in most countries the starting point for the regulation of ionizing radiations is the recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). The ICRP’s recommendations are incorporated into wider international standards and guidance before eventually finding their way into national legislation. In this chapter the UK legislative position is considered in some detail and a brief account is given of the most important aspects of the regulatory positions in France, Germany, Japan and the USA.