Availability of constants data for estimating radiation doses to the general population. Review

One of tasks to be solved when estimating radiation situation and forecasting its development is modeling distribution of radionuclides in the environment and calculating radiation doses to the general public using dose coefficients. However unified database of dose coefficients and unified approach to the data use are unavailable. The authors set a goal to analyze available sources of dose coefficients for estimating absorbed, RBE-weighted absorbed, equivalent and effective doses of internal and external radiation exposure. Special attention they have paid to the dosimetry terms used for the description of criteria in the national and international documents on radiological safety. The authors analyzed methodological basis and database of dose coefficients used for calculating doses of external exposure. Collections of dose coefficients for estimation of doses of internal radiation exposure given in publications of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) are analyzed as well. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) possesses the most universal collection of models, data files, computer codes, and help files. ORNL data can be used for estimating doses of exposure to various environmental radiation sources, presenting in the air, the water and the soil. The authors have considered the specific allowance for polydisperse composition of aerosols and data used for estimation of absorbed and RBE-weighted absorbed doses in different time intervals after contamination with radionuclides. Having analyzed the databases and taking into account gained experience in the use of dose coefficients in software packages for prediction of radiation situation development the authors advise researchers to use dose coefficients available in the ICRP Publication 119 and in the ORNL for estimating equivalent and effective doses of internal radiation exposure (ICRP) and for estimating time-dependent absorbed doses of internal radiation exposure (ONRL).