Issues and practices in the use of effects data from FREDERICA in the ERICA Integrated Approach
Résumé
The ERICA Integrated Approach requires that a risk assessment screening dose rate is defined for the risk characterisation within Tiers 1 and 2. At Tier 3, no numerical screening dose rate is used, and the risk characterisation is driven by methods that can evaluate the possible effects of ionising radiation on reproduction, mortality and morbidity. Species sensitivity distribution has been used to derive the ERICA risk assessment predicted no-effect dose rate (PNEDR). The method used was based on the mathematical processing of data from FRED (FASSET radiation effects database merged with the EPIC database to form FREDERICA) and resulted in a PNEDR of 10 μGy/h. This rate was assumed to ascribe sufficient protection of all ecosystems from detrimental effects on structure and function under chronic exposure. The value was weighed against a number of points of comparison: (i) PNEDR values obtained by application of the safety factor method, (ii) background levels, (iii) dose rates triggering effects on radioactively contaminated sites and (iv) former guidelines from literature reviews. In Tier 3, the effects analysis must be driven by the problem formulation and is thus highly case specific. Instead of specific recommendations on numeric values, guidance on the sorts of methods that may be applied for refined effect analysis is provided and illustrated. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Mots clés
Data handling
Ecosystems
Integrated control
Ionizing radiation
Numerical methods
Radiation effects
Safety factor
Dose rate
Ecological risk assessment
Integrated approach
Mathematical processing
Problem formulation
Radioactive substances
Safety factor methods
Species sensitivity distributions
Risk assessment
background level
dose-response relationship
ecosystem approach
environmental protection
guideline
integrated approach
morbidity
mortality
radiation exposure
risk assessment
article
clinical practice
comparative study
data base
dose response
ecosystem
environment
ionizing radiation
long term exposure
mathematical analysis
medical literature
practice guideline
prediction
protection
radiation response
radioactive contamination
reproduction
risk
safety
screening
species