INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTIONICRP ref 4844-6336-6461
Released 2016 November 23

ICRP Announces Changes to its Committee Structure and Mandates
At its recent meeting in Shenzhen, China, the Main Commission discussed the future
programme of work and the optimal Committee structure required to support it. This istimely as the current term of ICRP ends on 30 June 2017 and the Commission will soon
invite nominations for membership for the next four-year term, starting 1 July 2017.
Since 2005, five Committees have driven the operational activities of ICRP, withmandates broadly covering radiation effects (Committee 1), dosimetry (Committee 2),radiation in medicine (Committee 3), application of the Commission’s recommendations(Committee 4) and environment (Committee 5). The work of Committee 5 hassignificantly elevated recognition of the environment within the ICRP system, and inuser and regulatory communities. ICRP Publications 91, 103, 108, and 114 trace thedevelopment from an initial framework to more detailed information for implementation.
ICRP Publication 124 provides a description of how the system works in planned,
emergency and existing exposure situations. Additional reports will be published in thenear future.
ICRP believes that a holistic and integrated view of all the benefits and impacts that
may result from the introduction of a new source in planned exposure situations, or
consideration of actions in existing and emergency exposure situations, should include
appropriate consideration of protection of both people and the environment. Thereremains work to be done to bring to fruition a consistent and coherent approach to thejustification and optimisation in any particular exposure situation that effectively takes
into account the implications of various options for protection of humans and theenvironment.
The Commission has decided to take a further step in consistently incorporating
protection of the environment into its activities by restructuring the standing Committees
at the commencement of the next term, to include the relevant aspects of protection ofhumans and the environment into the mandates of each of the Committees. This step
will bring together the resources of the Commission to examine effects for humans andthe environment in Committee 1, modelling of doses for humans and the environment inCommittee 2, and application of the Commission’s recommendations for protection ofhumans and the environment in Committee 4. Such an organisation emphasises thatthe environment is to be an integral consideration in the system of protection.
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INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION

The Commission has also decided to broaden the mandate of Committee 3, whichcurrently focusses on radiological protection in medicine. The Commission recognisesthat similar yet different challenges are encountered in veterinary practices, which todate ICRP has not considered. Therefore, a change has been made to the mandate ofCommittee 3 to accommodate the inclusion of radiological protection in veterinary
medicine.
Revised Committee Mandates (effective 1 July 2017)
Committee 1: Radiation Effects
Committee 1 considers the effects of radiation action from the subcellular to populationand ecosystem levels, including the induction of cancer, heritable and other diseases,
impairment of tissue/organ function and developmental defects, and assesses
implications for protection of people and the environment.
Committee 2: Doses from Radiation Exposure
Committee 2 develops dosimetric methodology for the assessment of internal andexternal radiation exposures, including reference biokinetic and dosimetric models andreference data and dose coefficients, for use in the protection of people and theenvironment.
Committee 3: Radiological Protection in Medicine
Committee 3 addresses protection of persons and unborn children when ionisingradiation is used in medical diagnosis, therapy, and biomedical research, as well asprotection in veterinary medicine.
Committee 4: Application of the Commission’s Recommendations
Committee 4 provides advice on the application of the Commission's recommendations
for the protection of people and the environment in an integrated manner for allexposure situations.

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