Evolution of the Ionising Radiations Regulations
Radiation was discovered in the late 1890s and it was not long before users became aware of the links between radiation and its effect on the human body . As early as 1896 there were simple recommendations to avoid skin burns from X-rays - use short exposure , do not place tube closer to the body than 2 inches , rub skin with Vaseline and leave a layer on the part that will be exposed . In 1899 the first malpractice lawsuit was awarded for X-ray burns .
One of the earliest photographic plates from Roentgen ' s experiments was a film of his wife ' s hand with a ring ( taken in 1895 ).
It was not until the turn of the 20th century that there was some attempt to recommend dose limits . In 1902 , a limit of 10 rad ( 0.1 Gy ) per day ( or 3,000 rad per year ) was recommended ; this was not based on biological data but rather on the lowest amount of radiation that could be easily detected .
In 1915 the British Röntgen Society adopted a resolution to protect people from overexposure to X-rays . This was one of the first organised efforts in radiation protection .
In 1921 the British X-ray and Radium Protection Committee made further recommendations . They adopted them as international protection recommendations and , at the second International Congress of Radiology in 1928 , the International Commission of Radiological Protection ( ICRP ) was established . The recommendations to protect X-ray operators included maximum work schedules , required amounts of leisure time and special accommodations for the workers .
As physicists began to understand more about radiation and particularly fission , the need for controls on exposure became a necessity . In 1934 , ICRP established a
Radiation units R ( Roentgen ) is a legacy unit of ionising
-4 radiation exposure . 1 R = 2.58 x 10 Coulomb per kg of ions generated in air Gy ( Gray ) is the SI unit of absorbed dose , defined as the absorption of 1 Joule of radiation energy per kg rad is the non-SI unit of absorbed dose . 1 rad = 0.01 Gy = 0.01 J / kg For practical purposes , 1 R ( exposure ) = 1 rad ( absorbed dose )
tolerance dose of 0.2 R per day for exposure of workers to radiation , and in 1936 the US National Committee on Radiation Protection and Measurements ( NCRP ) reduced this limit to 0.1 R per day . This limit was maintained throughout World War II .
Following the Hiroshima and Nagasaki explosions , the world became aware of the nuclear age , and concern amongst US military leaders and civilian officials culminated in congressional passage of the ( US ) Atomic Energy Act ( AEA ) of 1946 . The AEA created the US Atomic Energy Commission ( AEC ) to oversee the development of nuclear technologies and to encourage peaceful uses of nuclear energy .
In the UK , the development of nuclear energy was mainly regulated via the ( UK ) Atomic Energy Act 1946 and the Atomic Energy Authority Act 1954 . Certain specific areas were dealt with by the Radioactive Substances Act 1948 .
The 1948 Radioactive Substances Act was repealed and replaced by the Radioactive Substances Act 1960 ( RSA60 ) which regulated the keeping , use and disposal of radioactive materials , including registration of users and mobile sources . A few years later the Nuclear Installations Act 1965 ( NIA65 ) was introduced to regulate radiological safety on nuclear sites .
30 Radiation Protection Today www . srp-rpt . uk