Protection of the Environment from the Effects of Ionizing Radiation

The conference which is the subject of these proceedings is the latest in the series of international conferences on biota protection from radiation. It had the objective of reviewing recent scientific and policy developments in this subject area and the implications for further work at national and international levels.

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Radioactive materials as environmental pollutants have been of concern with regard to both human exposure and exposure of non-human species. This concern has recently led to a reconsideration of an assumption on which current standards are based, namely, that if humans are adequately protected then other species will also be adequately protected. This subject is now under consideration by all relevant international organizations in the field of radiation protection, including the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) and the IAEA. The conference which is the subject of these proceedings is the latest in the series of international conferences on biota protection from radiation (Stockholm, 1996, Ottawa, 1999, and Darwin, 2002). It had the objective of reviewing recent scientific and policy developments in this subject area and the implications for further work at national and international levels. The conference was held in Stockholm, Sweden, from 6 to 10 October 2003. It was attended by about 220 participants from 38 countries and 11 international organizations. These proceedings contain all of the presentations and discussions held during the conference, as well as summaries of each session and the overall findings of the conference. The contributed papers are provided on a CD-ROM which accompanies these proceedings. The proceedings are primarily intended for use by regulatory bodies and authorities of the nuclear fuel cycle facility locations, international bodies involved in environmental protection and experts in environmental radioactivity worldwide.