Paper ELEVENTH ANNUAL WARREN K. SINCLAIR KEYNOTE ADDRESS—SCIENCE, RADIATION PROTECTION AND NCRP: BUILDING ON THE PAST, LOOKING TO THE FUTURE Jerrold T. Bushberg* Abstract—The many reports and other authoritative documents developed and published by the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) have been of great service to the nation and the radiation protection community since its Congressional charter was signed into law 50 y ago. There will be a continuing need for NCRP to identify the principles upon which radiation protection is to be based and to provide guidance on best practices for the practical application of those principles for the many beneficial uses of radiation in society. The unique and invaluable resource that is NCRP is in large part due to the selfless dedication and numerous contributions of its Council and scientific committee members. The multidisciplinary composition of these leading experts and their collective input on complex questions provide a unique synergy that results in a comprehensive and well-balanced approach to addressing current and future radiation protection challenges. Subsequent articles in these proceedings covering a broad range of relevant topics will review sentinel accomplishments of the past as well as current work and future challenges that are in keeping with NCRP’s mission to advance the science of radiation protection in the public interest. Health Phys. 108(2):115–123; 2015 Key words: National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements; radiation protection; regulatory guides; safety standards
INTRODUCTION THIS YEAR (2014), the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) celebrated 50 y of service to the nation and the radiation protection community under its Congressional charter signed into law in 1964. However, the history of NCRP and its predecessor organizations dates
*Radiology and Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, 2315 Stockton Blvd., FSSB 2500, Sacramento, CA 95817; National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814. The authors declare no conflicts of interest. For correspondence contact the author at the above address, or email at [email protected]. (Manuscript accepted 1 October 2014) 0017-9078/15/0 Copyright © 2014 Health Physics Society DOI: 10.1097/HP.0000000000000228
back to 1929, 34 y after the discovery of x-rays and radioactivity. While the technology transfer that led to beneficial applications of these discoveries was likely one of the most rapid and profound in modern history, the development of consensus-based safety standards to protect against the adverse effects of radiation (which were all too apparent to the many early radiation pioneers) was more gradual. NCRP has published numerous reports and other documents in the last 50 y that have served as the foundation for radiation protection activities and regulations in the United States. THE NEED FOR A SYSTEM OF RADIATION PROTECTION In the early years, pioneers of the medical application of x-rays and others worked with unshielded x-ray tubes and unfiltered x-ray beams, leading to high exposure to both patients and practitioners (Fig. 1). In addition, practitioners and experimenters often used themselves or others in the laboratory to calibrate and refine exposure parameters (Fig. 2), and some even produced x-ray images as novelties for sale (which today would be grounds for criminal prosecution; Fig. 3). Tissue reactions such as erythema, epilation, and dermal ulcerations were well known hazards of working closely with radiation sources. Even the recognition that long-term radiation exposure could lead to an increased incidence of skin and hematopoietic cancers was realized
INTRODUCTION THIS YEAR (2014), the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) celebrated 50 y of service to the nation and the radiation protection community under its Congressional charter signed into law in 1964. However, the history of NCRP and its predecessor organizations dates
*Radiology and Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, 2315 Stockton Blvd., FSSB 2500, Sacramento, CA 95817; National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814. The authors declare no conflicts of interest. For correspondence contact the author at the above address, or email at [email protected]. (Manuscript accepted 1 October 2014) 0017-9078/15/0 Copyright © 2014 Health Physics Society DOI: 10.1097/HP.0000000000000228
back to 1929, 34 y after the discovery of x-rays and radioactivity. While the technology transfer that led to beneficial applications of these discoveries was likely one of the most rapid and profound in modern history, the development of consensus-based safety standards to protect against the adverse effects of radiation (which were all too apparent to the many early radiation pioneers) was more gradual. NCRP has published numerous reports and other documents in the last 50 y that have served as the foundation for radiation protection activities and regulations in the United States. THE NEED FOR A SYSTEM OF RADIATION PROTECTION In the early years, pioneers of the medical application of x-rays and others worked with unshielded x-ray tubes and unfiltered x-ray beams, leading to high exposure to both patients and practitioners (Fig. 1). In addition, practitioners and experimenters often used themselves or others in the laboratory to calibrate and refine exposure parameters (Fig. 2), and some even produced x-ray images as novelties for sale (which today would be grounds for criminal prosecution; Fig. 3). Tissue reactions such as erythema, epilation, and dermal ulcerations were well known hazards of working closely with radiation sources. Even the recognition that long-term radiation exposure could lead to an increased incidence of skin and hematopoietic cancers was realized
