Development of guidelines on radiation protection for the lens of the eye in Japan

Yokoyama, Sumi*; Iwai, Satoshi*; Tsujimura, Norio   ; Hashimoto, Makoto  ; Yoshitomi, Hiroshi   ; Kato, Masahiro*; Kurosawa, Tadahiro*; Tatsuzaki, Hideo*; Sekiguchi, Hiroshi*; Koguchi, Yasuhiro*; Ono, Koji*; Akiyoshi, Masafumi*; Kunugita, Naoki*; Natsuhori, Masahiro*; Natsume, Yoshinori*; Nabatame, Kuniaki*; Kawashima, Tsunenori*; Takagi, Shunji*; Ono, Kazuko*

In Japan, new regulations that revise the eye lens dose limit, operational quantities, and measurement positions for the dose of the lens will be enforced from April 2021. Based on the International and national guidelines, the results of the Radiation Safety Research Promotion Fund of Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA), and other studies, the Working Group of Radiation Protection Standardization Committee, the Japan Health Physics Society (JHPS), developed the guideline on the radiation monitoring for the lens of the eye. In July 2020, the guideline was published by the JHPS. The guideline consists of five parts: a main text, explanations, references, three attachments, and twenty-six questions. In the questions, the corresponding answers were prepared, and specific examples were given so that similar issues could be dealt with. In the working group, in particular, time was spent discussing judgment of the criteria of non-uniform exposure and the management criteria set to not exceed the dose limit to the lens. With the development of the guidelines on the radiation monitoring of the lens of the eye, the radiation managers and workers will be able to smoothly comply with revised regulations and optimize radiation protection.