Abstract
It was in December 2008 that I took on the position of Scientific Secretary of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), although sometimes it seems like yesterday, and sometimes it seems like a lifetime ago. At the time, I thought I had some inkling of the challenges that this would entail. Looking back, I now realise how little I understood that this was not just another job; it’s a lifestyle, impacting every part of my life, professional and personal. It is extremely demanding, with an enormous variety of responsibilities, mundane and exotic, requiring near-infinite patience and all the energy one can muster. The international aspect makes for frequent changes of time zone, so all too much time is spent jet lagged. Although it is an almost impossible challenge, the work is meaningful and very fulfilling. There is no wider view of radiological protection, and the opportunities to work with so many great people all over the world, in the profession and beyond, are unparalleled.
In July 2009, just a few months after I started, Claire Cousins became the Chair of ICRP. We hardly knew each other at that time, but as it turns out, we have worked together very well since the beginning. We also have similar views on how radiological protection and ICRP must evolve to stay current in the modern world.
I don’t recall who first raised the idea, but it was in the first months of working together that we began to discuss whether ICRP should organise a conference. For as long as I can remember, ICRP has played key roles in radiological protection meetings organised by others. In 2009, on the heels of releasing our most recent set of fundamental recommendations, we felt it was time for ICRP to convene a conference of our own, focused squarely on the system of radiological protection. Flush with the success of the open, worldwide consultations that led to the 2007 Recommendations, we wanted to share our ongoing work and future perspectives, and to hear from the world what they needed from us.
It was a risky undertaking. International conferences are expensive, ICRP is far from a wealthy organisation, and we did not want to charge high registration fees that might dissuade people from coming. There was also the question of reputation. We thought it would go well, but ICRP had never organised such an event in its more than 80-year history, so we didn’t know how people would react. Even so, despite some reservations and scepticism, we moved forward, found a host willing to offer support [the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)], found a venue (across the street from NRC headquarters, not coincidentally), and put together a 3-day programme of invited speakers.
We could not have been more pleased with the reaction to our first international symposium, held in Bethesda, MD, USA, in October 2011. What we saw first-hand was confirmed in a postsymposium survey. The 400 people attending from 35 countries had a highly valuable and very enjoyable experience.
It was also great for our own members. ICRP had been holding joint meetings of the Main Commission and all committees biennially for a long time, but the addition of the symposium made for an inspiring (if slightly exhausting) working atmosphere, and there were plenty of opportunities for enriching interactions with all the participants. There was no question that this should become the first in a series of symposia.
We have now held four international symposia on the system of radiological protection: in the USA in 2011, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2013, in Korea in 2015, and, most recently, in France in October 2017, hosted by the Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire (IRSN).
Each symposium has been organised learning from those that came before. All have been designed to be both international in nature and relevant to the local and regional segment of the audience. The Fourth International Symposium on the System of Radiological Protection was the first to be held in conjunction with another major international event: the Second European Radiological Protection Research Week (ERPW). As such, we collaborated closely with the five European research platforms: ALLIANCE, EURADOS, EURAMED, MELODI, and NERIS. ICRP-ERPW 2017 attracted more than 500 participants from 42 countries.
The ICRP 2017 programme consisted of five topical sessions on key issues in radiological protection: advances in dose coefficients (with EURADOS); effects, risks, and detriment at low dose and low dose rate (with MELODI); advanced radiotherapy (with EURAMED); postaccident recovery (with NERIS); and integrated protection of people and the environment (with ALLIANCE).
Within the Second ERPW, each of these platforms also held parallel sessions focusing on their own work. It made for a very rich 3-day programme.
ICRP 2017 continued the tradition, began in 2015, to release presentation materials through the ICRP website within hours of being presented. Videos of all presentations were also released during the weeks following the event. These, along with all ICRP 2017 abstracts, lists of attendees and supporters, and summaries of the ICRP Main Commission and committee meetings held in conjunction with the symposium, are available at www.icrp.org (select ‘ICRP symposia’ from the main menu).
These proceedings include full papers for almost all presentations. In the few cases where a paper is not available, the abstract is included. These are the work of the individual authors. They are not recommendations of ICRP and do not necessarily represent the views of ICRP. However, together with the material available online, they are a lasting record of the meeting, and give those who could not attend in person a good sense of what was discussed. Also included is a paper by Larry Dauer, not related to a specific presentation, to complement the rest of the material on radiotherapy.
ICRP-ERPW 2017 would not have been possible without the support of many organisations specifically for this event:
Nuclear Energy Agency; US Department of Energy; French National Radioactive Waste Management Agency; French National Centre for Space Studies; European Organization for Nuclear Research; Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission; Italian Association of Medical Physics; French Nuclear Safety Authority; Bel V, Belgium; Spanish Nuclear Safety Council; Swiss Federal Office of Public Health; French National Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology; Korean Association for Radiation Protection; Landauer Europe; League Against Cancer, France; European Nuclear Safety Training and Tutoring Institute; French Society of Radiation Protection; Mirion Technologies; Nuvia; General Electric Healthcare; French Electricity; Saphymo by Bertin; Belgian Nuclear Research Center; French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission; ARRAD; and Assystem.
Moreover, as an independent charity with limited financial resources, we would not be able to conduct our broad programme of work, including preparation of our biennial symposia, without the gracious and ongoing support of:
The Nippon Foundation; German Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety; UAE Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation; International Atomic Energy Agency; US Nuclear Regulatory Commission; US Environmental Protection Agency; Japan Nus Co.; Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission; Health Canada; French National Radioactive Waste Management Agency; Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency; Chinese Society of Radiation Protection; French Institute of Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety; Swedish Radiation Safety Authority; US Department of Energy; Swiss Federal Office of Public Health; Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate; Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority; Spanish Nuclear Safety Council; US Nuclear Energy Institute; Southern Urals Biophysics Institute; Nuclear Energy Agency; International Society of Radiology; International Radiation Protection Association; Icelandic Radiation Protection Authority; Danish Radiation Protection Authority; Japan Radioisotope Association; and Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority.
Each symposium is a major undertaking for ICRP and, as with any large project, there are many to thank for their efforts. A debt of gratitude is owed to all session co-chairs and presenters. Thank you as well to those who worked behind the scenes, particularly: ICRP Executive Administrator Lynn Lemaire; ICRP Assistant Scientific Secretary Haruyuki Ogino; ICRP Development and Communications Manager Kelsey Cloutier; ICRP Interns Laila Omar-Nazir, Julie Reyjal, Braedon Carr, Takahiro Koshiba, and Sylvain Andresz; and those from our host organisation, IRSN, who worked tirelessly to make everything run smoothly.
Most importantly, thank you to everyone who attended ICRP-ERPW 2017.
ICRP 2019, the Fifth International Symposium on the System of Radiological Protection, will be held in Adelaide, Australia, in November 2019, hosted by the Australasian Radiation Protection Society and Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency. Mark this down-under ‘must attend’ event in your calendar now!
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