Human oriented concept of Radiation Safety

Archil Kapanadze,
Alla Zedginidze

The corner stone of contemporary radiation safety is ALARA (As Low As Rationally Available) principle.
Dosimetry is a base of radiation safety. The main methods of it are Physical dosimetry methods. But this methods gives as only extrapolation knowledge about absorbed by Human organism dose and the biological effects of it. In contrast, biodosimetry methods give us opportunity to register the real biological damage to organism caused by ionizing radiation.
Until now, biodosimetry is assumed as Nuclear incident or technogenic disaster method. But development of these methods allows us to broaden area of their implementation.
Biodosimetry (cyto-genetic methods) became very important in case of irradiation of Human organism by small doses of radiation when we have not clinical manifestation but mutagenic effect of radiation is significant and increase the risk of different diseases including cancer.
Scientific knowledge about effect of small doses of ionizing radiation on Human organism became more and more important because of dramatic increase of implementation of it in medicine (CT, interventional radiology, nuclear medicine etc.). This causes the increase of population dose and needs the maintenance. There are proposed several methods of control of absorbed by Human organism doses during medical procedures: harden the indications for procedures, increase of sensitivity of equipment etc.
One of the good organizational method is to create the patients dose registry. We propose to include biodosimetry methods in this technological process. After reaching some cumulative, calculated, dose patient goes to biodosimetry (cyto-genetic methods). This will help doctor to correctly assess the real biological impact of ionizing radiation and administer medical management of this condition. After two or three months repeat of biodosimetry (cyto-genetic methods) will show doctor the results of medical management. This procedure can be founded by insurance.
Above presented reasoning allow us to conclude that contemporary concept of radiation safety is environment oriented concept of disasters.
To date the main source of irradiation for population is not a disasters, but everyday irradiation: increase of radioactive background, increase of occupational irradiation, dramatic increase of medical irradiation etc.
For this reason we want to propose
Human oriented concept of radiation safety where the cyto-genetic methods of biodosimetry will be implemented not for calculation of absorbed dose, but if we will detect any mutagenic effect it must be considered as a clinical situation and need to be medically managed.

The technology scheme of this concept can be the same:
1. assessment of risks;
2. definition of risk-groups in the elevated risk regions;
3. assessment of real biological (mutagenic effect) damage by cyto-genetic methods among individuals in risk-groups;
4. medical management of assessed mutagenic damage;
5. monitoring in time of results of medical management.

To perform this technological scheme needs:
1. prepare the stuff (basic and continuing education);
2. appropriated equipment;
3. specialized institution;
4. working founding mechanisms.
Also, very important to educate medical stuff and population in radiation safety.