THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON RADIATION UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS (ICRU), SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 1925, HAS HAD AS ITS PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVE THE DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNATIONALLY ACCEPTABLE RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING:
(1) QUANTITIES AND UNITS OF RADIATION AND RADIOACTIVITY,
(2) PROCEDURES SUITABLE FOR THE MEASUREMENT AND APPLICATION OF THESE QUANTITIES IN CLINICAL RADIOLOGY AND RADIOBIOLOGY,
(3) PHYSICAL DATA NEEDED IN THE APPLICATION OF THESE PROCEDURES, THE USE OF WHICH TENDS TO ASSURE UNIFORMITY IN REPORTING.
THE ICRU ALSO CONSIDERS AND MAKES RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE FIELD OF RADIATION PROTECTION. IN THIS CONNECTION, ITS WORK IS CARRIED OUT IN CLOSE COOPERATION WITH THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION (ICRP).
THE PROGRAM OF THE ICRU IS CONTINUALLY CHANGING TO MEET NEWLY IDENTIFIED NEEDS. HOWEVER, THE WORK IS ILLUSTRATED BY THE FOLLOWING EXAMPLES OF TOPICS ON WHICH WORK IS CURRENTLY UNDERWAY:
(1) PRACTICAL DETERMINATION OF RADIATION PROTECTION QUANTITIES,
(2) STOPPING POWERS FOR PROTONS AND ALPHA PARTICLES,
(3) CHEMICAL DOSIMETRY,AND
(4) TISSUE EQUIVALENT MATERIALS.

THE WORK ON PRACTICAL DETERMINATION OF RADIATION QUANTITIES INCLUDES A REPORT COMMITTEE EFFORT AIMED AT THE DEVELOPMENT OF RECOMMENDATIONS ON MEASUREMENT OF DOSE EQUIVALENT. FOLLOWING THE REACTOR ACCIDENT AT CHERNOBYL, IF WAS RECOGNIZED THAT ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING NEEDS FOR NUCLEAR REACTOR ACCIDENT SITUATIONS NEED TO BE ADDRESSED AND RECOMMENDATIONS DEVELOPED THAT TREAT THIS SITUATION. AS A RESULT, THE PLANS FOR THIS WORK HAVE BEEN MODIFIED AND EFFORTS ARE BEING MADE TO ACCELERATE THE WORK.
THE REPORT TO BE DEVELOPED WILL BE A COMPREHENSIVE TREATMENT OF THE PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF MEASURING DOSE EQUIVALENT. IT WILL BUILD ON THE WORK LAID DOWN IN PREVIOUS EFFORTS INCLUDING THAT PUBLISHED IN ICRU REPORT NO. 39, DETERMINATION OF DOSE EQUIVALENTS RESULTING FROM EXTERNAL RADIATION SOURCES AND THE SECOND OF THE REPORTS IN THIS SERIES WHICH IS NOW IN AN ADVANCED STAGE OF PREPARATION AND PROVIDES MUCH OF THE DATA THAT LIES BEHIND THE QUANTITIES RECOMMENDED IN ICRU REPORT 39. THE NEW WORK TO BE DONE WILL FOCUS ON SUCH QUESTIONS AS GUIDANCE ON THE DESIGN, CALIBRATION AND OF USE OF INSTRUMENTS. IT WILL ADDRESS MEASUREMENT PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED IN OPERATIONAL RADIATION PROTECTION AND, IN PART AS A RESULT OF THE CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT, WILL TREAT MEASUREMENT PROBLEMS INVOLVED IN UTILIZATION OF NUCLEAR ENERGY INCLUDING BOTH REACTORS AND REPROCESSING PLANTS. INSTRUMENT CHARACTERISTICS WILL BE ADDRESSED WITH MATTERS SUCH AS RESISTANCE TO SHOCK, TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY, RANGE OF DETECTION AND SATURATION, UNCERTAINTIES AND RELIABILITY TO BE TREATED. THE TREATMENT OF CHOICE AND USE OF INSTRUMENTS WILL INCLUDE RECOMMENDATIONS ON PORTABLE AND ENVIRONMENTAL INSTRUMENTS WITH CONSIDERATION OF THE CONDITIONS OF USE AS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR. THE MATTER OF CALIBRATION WILL ALSO BE ADDRESSED.