title: A proposal for a generally applicable de minimis dose.
abstract: This paper presents a proposal for a generally applicable de minimis radiation dose for members of the general public. A de minimis dose defines a level below which control of radiation exposures would be deliberately and specifically curtailed. Thus, such a dose must be set well below established limits on acceptable dose from all sources of exposure and, furthermore, must be below any established dose limit for specific practices. The proposed de minimis level consists of two dose limits: a principal limit on annual committed effective dose equivalent averaged over a lifetime of 0.01 mSv (1 mrem) and a subsidiary limit on committed effective dose equivalent in any year of 0.05 mSv (5 mrem). The proposed values are 1% of the limits on acceptable dose from all sources currently recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP85), and correspond to a lifetime risk from continuous exposure of about 10(-5).
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000191:economics; D011848:Radioactive Pollutants; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D011848:Radioactive Pollutants