ICRP, 123. Assessment of radiation exposure of astronauts in space. ICRP Publication 123. 2013

, and G Dietze, and D T Bartlett, and D A Cool, and F A Cucinotta, and X Jia, and I R McAulay, and M Pelliccioni, and V Petrov, and G Reitz, and T Sato

During their occupational activities in space, astronauts are exposed to ionising radiation from natural radiation sources present in this environment. They are, however, not usually classified as being occupationally exposed in the sense of the general ICRP system for radiation protection of workers applied on Earth. The exposure assessment and risk-related approach described in this report is clearly restricted to the special situation in space, and should not be applied to any other exposure situation on Earth. The report describes the terms and methods used to assess the radiation exposure of astronauts, and provides data for the assessment of organ doses. Chapter 1 describes the specific situation of astronauts in space, and the differences in the radiation fields compared with those on Earth. In Chapter 2, the radiation fields in space are described in detail, including galactic cosmic radiation, radiation from the Sun and its special solar particle events, and the radiation belts surrounding the Earth. Chapter 3 deals with the quantities used in radiological protection, describing the Publication 103 (ICRP, 2007) system of dose quantities, and subsequently presenting the special approach for applications in space; due to the strong contribution of heavy ions in the radiation field, radiation weighting is based on the radiation quality factor, Q, instead of the radiation weighting factor, wR. In Chapter 4, the methods of fluence and dose measurement in space are described, including instrumentation for fluence measurements, radiation spectrometry, and area and individual monitoring. The use of biomarkers for the assessment of mission doses is also described. The methods of determining quantities describing the radiation fields within a spacecraft are given in Chapter 5. Radiation transport calculations are the most important tool. Some physical data used in radiation transport codes are presented, and the various codes used for calculations in high-energy radiation fields in space are described. Results of calculations and measurements of radiation fields in spacecraft are given. Some data for shielding possibilities are also presented. Chapter 6 addresses methods of determining mean absorbed doses and dose equivalents in organs and tissues of the human body. Calculated conversion coefficients of fluence to mean absorbed dose in an organ or tissue are given for heavy ions up to Z=28 for energies from 10 MeV/u to 100 GeV/u. For the same set of ions and ion energies, mean quality factors in organs and tissues are presented using, on the one hand, the Q(L) function defined in Publication 60 (ICRP, 1991), and, on the other hand, a Q function proposed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Doses in the body obtained by measurements are compared with results from calculations, and biodosimetric measurements for the assessment of mission doses are also presented. In Chapter 7, operational measures are considered for assessment of the exposure of astronauts during space missions. This includes preflight mission design, area and individual monitoring during flights in space, and dose recording. The importance of the magnitude of uncertainties in dose assessment is considered. Annex A shows conversion coefficients and mean quality factors for protons, charged pions, neutrons, alpha particles, and heavy ions(2 < Z ≤2 8), and particle energies up to 100 GeV/u.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D011829 Radiation Dosage The amount of radiation energy that is deposited in a unit mass of material, such as tissues of plants or animal. In RADIOTHERAPY, radiation dosage is expressed in gray units (Gy). In RADIOLOGIC HEALTH, the dosage is expressed by the product of absorbed dose (Gy) and quality factor (a function of linear energy transfer), and is called radiation dose equivalent in sievert units (Sv). Sievert Units,Dosage, Radiation,Gray Units,Gy Radiation,Sv Radiation Dose Equivalent,Dosages, Radiation,Radiation Dosages,Units, Gray,Units, Sievert
D011834 Radiation Monitoring The observation, either continuously or at intervals, of the levels of radiation in a given area, generally for the purpose of assuring that they have not exceeded prescribed amounts or, in case of radiation already present in the area, assuring that the levels have returned to those meeting acceptable safety standards. Monitoring, Radiation
D011835 Radiation Protection Methods and practices adopted to protect against RADIATION. Protection, Radiation
D012062 Relative Biological Effectiveness The ratio of radiation dosages required to produce identical change based on a formula comparing other types of radiation with that of gamma or roentgen rays. Biological Effectiveness, Relative,Effectiveness, Biologic Relative,Effectiveness, Biological Relative,Relative Biologic Effectiveness,Biologic Effectiveness, Relative,Biologic Relative Effectiveness,Biological Relative Effectiveness,Effectiveness, Relative Biologic,Effectiveness, Relative Biological,Relative Effectiveness, Biologic
D003359 Cosmic Radiation High-energy radiation or particles from extraterrestrial space that strike the earth, its atmosphere, or spacecraft and may create secondary radiation as a result of collisions with the atmosphere or spacecraft. HZE Particles,Radiation, Cosmic,Cosmic Radiations,HZE Particle,Particle, HZE,Particles, HZE,Radiations, Cosmic
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D016273 Occupational Exposure The exposure to potentially harmful chemical, physical, or biological agents that occurs as a result of one's occupation. Exposure, Occupational,Exposures, Occupational,Occupational Exposures
D018480 Astronauts Members of spacecraft crew including those who travel in space, and those in training for space flight. Cosmonauts,Astronaut,Cosmonaut
D018531 Spacecraft Devices, manned and unmanned, which are designed to be placed into an orbit about the Earth or into a trajectory to another celestial body. (NASA Thesaurus, 1988) Biosatellites,Launch Vehicle,Satellites, Artificial,Satellites, Man-Made,Space Capsule,Space Craft,Space Probe,Space Ship,Space Shuttle,Space Vehicles,Spaceship,Artificial Satellite,Artificial Satellites,Biosatellite,Capsule, Space,Capsules, Space,Launch Vehicles,Man-Made Satellite,Man-Made Satellites,Probe, Space,Probes, Space,Satellite, Artificial,Satellite, Man-Made,Satellites, Man Made,Shuttle, Space,Shuttles, Space,Space Capsules,Space Probes,Space Ships,Space Shuttles,Space Vehicle,Spacecrafts,Spaceships,Vehicle, Launch,Vehicles, Launch

Related Publications

, and G Dietze, and D T Bartlett, and D A Cool, and F A Cucinotta, and X Jia, and I R McAulay, and M Pelliccioni, and V Petrov, and G Reitz, and T Sato
August 2013, Annals of the ICRP,
, and G Dietze, and D T Bartlett, and D A Cool, and F A Cucinotta, and X Jia, and I R McAulay, and M Pelliccioni, and V Petrov, and G Reitz, and T Sato
January 2007, Annals of the ICRP,
, and G Dietze, and D T Bartlett, and D A Cool, and F A Cucinotta, and X Jia, and I R McAulay, and M Pelliccioni, and V Petrov, and G Reitz, and T Sato
November 2001, Radiation research,
, and G Dietze, and D T Bartlett, and D A Cool, and F A Cucinotta, and X Jia, and I R McAulay, and M Pelliccioni, and V Petrov, and G Reitz, and T Sato
September 2014, Annals of the ICRP,
, and G Dietze, and D T Bartlett, and D A Cool, and F A Cucinotta, and X Jia, and I R McAulay, and M Pelliccioni, and V Petrov, and G Reitz, and T Sato
April 2022, Journal of radiological protection : official journal of the Society for Radiological Protection,
, and G Dietze, and D T Bartlett, and D A Cool, and F A Cucinotta, and X Jia, and I R McAulay, and M Pelliccioni, and V Petrov, and G Reitz, and T Sato
June 2016, Annals of the ICRP,
, and G Dietze, and D T Bartlett, and D A Cool, and F A Cucinotta, and X Jia, and I R McAulay, and M Pelliccioni, and V Petrov, and G Reitz, and T Sato
July 2014, Radiation protection dosimetry,
, and G Dietze, and D T Bartlett, and D A Cool, and F A Cucinotta, and X Jia, and I R McAulay, and M Pelliccioni, and V Petrov, and G Reitz, and T Sato
April 2022, European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology,
, and G Dietze, and D T Bartlett, and D A Cool, and F A Cucinotta, and X Jia, and I R McAulay, and M Pelliccioni, and V Petrov, and G Reitz, and T Sato
December 1999, Mutation research,
, and G Dietze, and D T Bartlett, and D A Cool, and F A Cucinotta, and X Jia, and I R McAulay, and M Pelliccioni, and V Petrov, and G Reitz, and T Sato
January 2014, Radiatsionnaia biologiia, radioecologiia,
Copied contents to your clipboard!