EURAMED's vision on medical radiation protection (research)

Areas of research to support the system of radiological protection

This document presents the ICRP's updated vision on "Areas of Research to Support the System of Radiological Protection", which have been previously published in 2017. It aims to complement the research priorities promoted by other relevant international organisations, with the specificity of placing them in the perspective of the evolution of the System of Radiological Protection. This document contributes to the process launched by ICRP to review and revise the System of Radiological Protection that will update the 2007 General Recommendations in ICRP Publication 103.

Radiation risks and uncertainties: a scoping review to support communication and informed decision-making

Although radiation protection is challenged by many uncertainties, there is no systematic study investigating the definitions and types of these uncertainties. To address this gap, in this paper we offer a scoping review to comprehensively analyse, for the first time, peer-reviewed scientific articles (n = 33) related to uncertainties in the following radiation exposure situations: nuclear emergencies, decommissioning of nuclear/radiological installations and long-term radiological exposure situations (e.g. naturally occurring radioactive materials). The results suggest that firstly, there is no agreement regarding definitions of uncertainty, which is mainly defined based on its sources, types or categories rather than by its meaning. Secondly, different actors are faced with different types of uncertainties. Uncertainties of the scientific community are mostly data and methodology-driven (e.g. dose-response relationships), those of the decision-makers are related to the likely consequences of decision options and public reactions, while laypeople's uncertainties are mainly related to the trustworthiness of experts or the emotional potential of specific risk exposures. Furthermore, the majority of articles focus on the uncertainties of the scientific community, while those of the information receivers (i.e. decision-makers and laypeople) receive much less consideration. Finally, there was no difference in types of uncertainties across the different risk-related study areas analysed (radiation versus other risks). Based on these findings, we provide some preliminary recommendations regarding research on uncertainty related to radiation protection, as well as communication practices.