'Index of Harm'

ICRP Publication No.27 (Pergamon Press, Oxford; 1977) was a report by Pochin, 'Problems Involved in Developing an Index of Harm', discussing the difficulties of making an appropriate comparison of radiation and other effects. It suggested a quantitative index that took account of the length of life or full activity lost as a result of occupational causes, expressed as number of man-years lost per thousand man-years employed. Recognising that the evidence on occupational risks came from only a few nations, the ICRP agreed that a more broadly-based assessment of an index of harm was desirable and over the next decade Pochin collected and analysed additional international data and statistics. These related to occupational risks and injuries as well as to accident and fatality rates involving radiation exposure. (See also ICRP Publication No. 45: 'Quantative Bases for Developing a Unified Index of Harm'.) The ICRP has since introduced the concept of radiation 'detriment' in order to identify and, when possible, t

1960s-1980s

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