conditions set out in their authorisations . Increasingly the trend is about protection and enhancement of the environment ( i . e . sustainable development ), and with increasing focus on Environment , Social and Corporate Governance ( ESG ), responsible operators often want to go beyond regulatory compliance .
SRP members provided extensive input to workshops , consultations and other engagement with government and the environmental regulators in developing the new legislation to ensure that it was fit for purpose .
Medical Exposure of Patients and Carers As a result of the rapid development of the uses of radiation and radioactive materials for diagnostics and therapy in medical applications , The Ionising Radiation ( Protection of Persons Undergoing Medical Examination or Treatment ) Regulations 1988 introduced specific requirements for the training of practitioners responsible for medical procedures resulting in the exposure of patients to ionising radiation . These were replaced in 2000 by The Ionising Radiation ( Medical Exposure ) Regulations ( IR ( ME ) R ), which extended the obligations of duty holders to include the justification and optimisation of the medical exposures of individual patients and carers . IR ( ME ) R was revised in 2017 to implement relevant aspects of the 2013 EU Basic Safety Standards Directive .
Non-Ionising Radiations Over time , we have become increasingly concerned about exposure to non-ionising radiations ( NIR ), which ICNIRP defines as electromagnetic radiation ( ultraviolet , visible , infrared ), electromagnetic waves and fields , and infra- and ultrasound . ICNIRP ’ s guidelines have been incorporated into legislation , or adopted as standards , in many countries . The first European guidance was in 1999 and covered exposure of the public to electromagnetic fields ( 0 Hz to 300 GHz ). The EU then introduced the European Directive on exposure to physical agents at work in 2004 . The UK regulations relating to non-
Radiation Protection Today Summer 2023 ionising radiations , including lasers and optical sources , were made under this Directive . These are The Control of Artificial Optical Radiation at Work Regulations 2010 and The Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations 2016 .
While the effects of exposure to commonplace electromagnetic fields ( EMFs , e . g . transmission lines and mobile phone signals ) are widely considered to be very low , exposure to sunlight is more serious . Exposure to sunlight is clearly not amenable to regulation , but public awareness campaigns are increasingly effective .
The Future As this issue of RPT went to press , the Retained EU Law ( Revocation and Reform ) Act 2023 became law . Although original proposals were significantly watered down , almost 600 pieces of retained EU legislation will automatically be revoked at the end of 2023 and ministers have powers to restate , revoke or replace further assimilated EU law with little or no parliamentary scrutiny . This is of concern to a number of communities , not least those involved with radiation protection . Whatever the outcome , it is clear that in future the UK will be looking towards international bodies such as the IAEA , rather than the EU , as the basis for our regulations . The UK has always been closely involved in the development of international standards and guidance for radiation protection , such as the IAEA Basic Safety Standards .
The decades since the 1980s have also been marked by growing public awareness of environmental issues and this is increasingly reflected in government policy and statute . Environmental regulators already require holders of radioactive substances permits to consider impacts to non-human receptors , and ICRP recommendations are increasingly drawing attention to the need to include the protection of flora and fauna within the radiation protection regulations .
13