Radiation Protection Dosimetry Advance Access originally published online on December 13, 2007
Radiation Protection Dosimetry 2007 127(1-4):19-22; doi:10.1093/rpd/ncm480
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Review of standards of protection for pregnant workers and their offspring
1 Occupational Radiation Protection Unit, Division of Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety, Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, IAEA, Wagramer Strasse 5, PO Box 100, A-1400 Vienna, Austria
2 CEA, DSM, LABM, France
3 Health Protection Agency, Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Chilton, UK
4 National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN), Instituto de Radioproteçao e Dosimetria, Brazil
5 Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz, Fachbereich Strahlenschutz und Gesundheit, Neuherberg, Germany
6 Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, USA
7 Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
* Corresponding author: r.cruz-suarez{at}iaea.org
The recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection and the IAEA Basic Safety Standards (BSS) make clear that the embryo and fetus should be regarded as a member of the public when considering the protection of female workers who are or may be pregnant. The BSS note that the embryo and fetus should be ‘afforded the same broad level of protection as required for members of the public’. Similar guidance is included in national legislation in a number of countries. On the basis of a review of such guidance, it was concluded that although the recommendations provided in the BSS are in general agreement with the international consensus on approaches to the protection of pregnant workers and their offspring, more specific supporting guidance is needed. The IAEA is preparing a technical document that extends and clarifies previous advice and considers the practical application of the advice for workers in different types of workplace, for which important potential routes of exposure for the pregnant worker have been identified. This action is being carried out under the framework of the International Action Plan for Occupational Radiation Protection.