The basic ideas published more than 50 years ago in A. D. Sakharov’s article “Radioactive Carbon from Nuclear Explosions and Zero-Threshold Biological Effects” are examined from the standpoint of the scientific knowledge accumulated up to 1958 in the field of radiobiology and the effect of radiation on the human body at ultralow doses. The present state of radiological risk regulation is examined in the light of the problems which Sakharov touched upon. The need for improving the normative-legal foundation of radiological safety and protection in connection with the publication of new ICRP recommendations and the development of new safety standards started under IAEA aegis is discussed.
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Translated from Atomnaya Énergiya, Vol. 106, No. 5, pp. 285–297, May, 2009.
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Arutyunyan, R.V., Bol’shov, L.A. & Pavlovskii, O.A. Setting radiation safety standards from a modern perspective. At Energy 106, 365–376 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10512-009-9175-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10512-009-9175-5