The heart of the system for radiological protection is optimisation, i.e. the search for the "best" protection for a given circumstance. Many experts in the radiological protection community have noted that protection choices are often made considering mostly radiological aspects rather than the broader social, economic and cultural issues that may be affected by the situation and the choice of protection measures. While prudence due to the uncertainty of radiological effects is understandable, addressing only radiological effects can lead to a "minimum" solution rather than an "optimum" solution, resulting in an unbalanced use of resources and unexpected non‑radiological consequences.
To address this issue, the NEA held the "Workshop on Optimisation: Rethinking the Art of Reasonable" on 13‑15 January 2020, hosted by the Portuguese Institute of Oncology and the Centre for Nuclear Sciences and Technologies (C2TN) in Lisbon, Portugal. The workshop attracted 86 experts from 22 countries who exchanged experiences and identified approaches to better achieve protection outcomes. NEA Director‑General William D. Magwood, IV, when opening the meeting, emphasised the importance of considering all aspects of a given situation such that protection measures address "well‑being" in broad sense. Workshop conclusions and recommendations will be shared with the NEA community in order to help the membership rationalise optimisation choices, and to contribute to the evolution of the system of radiological protection.
To address this issue, the NEA held the "Workshop on Optimisation: Rethinking the Art of Reasonable" on 13‑15 January 2020, hosted by the Portuguese Institute of Oncology and the Centre for Nuclear Sciences and Technologies (C2TN) in Lisbon, Portugal. The workshop attracted 86 experts from 22 countries who exchanged experiences and identified approaches to better achieve protection outcomes. NEA Director‑General William D. Magwood, IV, when opening the meeting, emphasised the importance of considering all aspects of a given situation such that protection measures address "well‑being" in broad sense. Workshop conclusions and recommendations will be shared with the NEA community in order to help the membership rationalise optimisation choices, and to contribute to the evolution of the system of radiological protection.
