Research and development

The European Commission has funded a number of international projects on the topic of radiological protection of non-human species, the most recent being the Protection of the Environment from Ionising Radiation in a Regulatory Context (PROTECT).

Protection of the environment from ionising radiation in a regulatory context

Since October 2006, this project has compared regulatory approaches for ionising radiation and non-radioactive contaminants. It is expected to provide a scientific justification for proposing numerical targets or standards for the protection of the environment from ionising radiation.

The work includes consultation with the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) , regulators, industry and interested parties. The project is due for completion in September 2008, and it is anticipated the outcomes will help to inform a future revision of the European Commission Basic Safety Standards.

Environment Risks from Ionising Contaminants Assessment and Management (ERICA)

The Environmental Risks from Ionising Contaminants Assessment and Management (ERICA) project was run from March 2004 to February 2007. It's principal aims were to develop:

  • a software tool to assess the radiological impact on biota (flora and fauna)
  • an extensive database for radiation-induced effects on wildlife.

Building on the progress made in the FASSET project (see below), these objectives were pursued on an international level by end-users, regulators and interested stakeholders.

Framework for Assessment of Environmental Impact (FASSET)

Conducted between November 2000 and October 2003, the overall aim of the FASSET project was to identify a set of reference organisms that experience different exposure conditions in European ecosystems. Radionuclides, exposure pathways, ecological relevance, dose measurement and biological effects were all taken into account.

In total, 31 organisms were proposed to represent marine, freshwater and a variety of terrestrial ecosystems. These have formed the basis for the development of dosimetric (measuring the dosage of ionising radiation) models and future work on assessment procedures.