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STOA Workshop
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_________________________________________________________
A STOA WORKSHOP
Survey and evaluation of criticism of basic safety standards
for the protection of workers and the public against ionising radiation
Brussels, 5 February, 1998
_________________________________________________________
FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT
A Workshop on the above subject, under the auspices of the STOA Unit of the European
Parliament, will take place in Brussels on Thursday, 5 February, 1998. The aim of the
Workshop is to analyse and assess recent debate concerning basic safety standards for the
protection of workers and the public against ionising radiation in a manner that will be useful
to the Committee on Research, Technological Development and Energy (CERT) of the
European Parliament, and to the Parliament as a whole, in their deliberations on this subject.
The Workshop format chosen is intended to make it possible to hear presentations by
independent experts on aspects of risk analysis, the reliability of empirical data from different
sources, the validity of standard-setting criteria and to assess criticisms which have been
made of standards recommended by the International Committee on Radiological Protection
(ICRP).
THE STOA UNIT OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
STOA (Scientific and Technological Options Assessment) is the technology assessment unit
of the European Parliament. It carries out projects which have been proposed by Committees
of the European Parliament, and included in the annual Workplan by the STOA Panel, which
is composed of Members of the EP representing the Committees. The Workplan for 1997
comprises a total of 18 projects, some of which will give rise to more than one study. In
1996, the corresponding Workplan contained 14 projects, which gave rise to at least 26
studies.
The primary purpose of a STOA study, as the one expected to arise from the Workshop under
consideration, is to present the most significant alternative policy options in a given policy
domain. It is a highly-targeted critical assessment, useful to parliamentarians whose task is to
scrutinise and, where appropriate amend, legislative proposals submitted for their consi-
deration. The study must be carried out with such accuracy and focus that the options can be
summarised in an 'Options Brief' of no more than 2 pages, which is published separately from
the main study for the rapid and effective information of Members of the European
Parliament. The study itself presents the data and arguments that support the policy options
that have been identified in the 'Options Brief'.
VENUE AND TIME
The Workshop will take place in a meeting-room of the European Parliament in Brussels over
one full day, starting at 9.00 and ending at 17.30 on 5 February, 1998. It will be divided into
four Sessions with breaks for coffee and lunch in between Sessions. Each of the four
Sessions will contain formal presentations from invited 'expert speakers' with a question and
answer period after each presentation. There will be also time for some short contributed oral
presentations. The topics to be discussed in the four Sessions will be:
1. The current debate on basic safety standards for the protection of workers and
the public against ionising radiation
2. Ionising radiation and biological systems
- Link between exposure rates and cancer (including leukaemia), congenital
deformity and other disease.
- Exposure levels for children and pregnant women
- Sources and significance of occupational and public exposure from nuclear
medicine
- Chronic exposure to low level radiation
- Radiological protection criteria for workers and the public
3. Risk assessment
- Evaluation of assessment techniques
- Methods of quantification of radioactive contamination and estimates of health
risk
- Radioactive waste management
4. Legislation, validation and implementation
- The standards-setting process (ICRB, IAEA, EURATOM, National bodies)
- Theoretical validation of standards
- Public debate on standards
- Parliamentary control of the standard-setting process
A more detailed programme of the Workshop will be included in the Second Announcement
to be issued in January, 1998.
PARTICIPATION IN THE WORKSHOP
The Workshop will be attended by
Members of the European Parliament
- The invited 'expert speakers'
- Invited observers, mainly experts from organisations with a professional interest
relevant to the subject matter of the Workshop.
- Other officials, notably, European Parliament and Commission officials, EP research
assistants, etc.
- Other interested individuals. These could be representatives of organisations,
research establishments or simply concerned individuals.
All individuals wishing to attend the Workshop are urged to complete the attached form and
return it to the Organisers as soon as possible - and certainly before the deadline of 19
January, 1998. It is expected that the Workshop will be well attended and invitations will be
issued on a first-come-first-served basis. Due to security regulations, no individual will be
admitted to the Workshop unless he has been issued a formal invitation by the
Organisers.
CONTRIBUTED PRESENTATIONS AND POSTER SESSION
During the Workshop there will be limited time allocated to short (eight-minute) contributed
presentations. Individuals or representatives of organisations who wish to present their
material at the Workshop should send to the Organisers an abstract of their presentation no
later than 12 January, 1998. The abstract should not exceed 150 words, including title,
name(s) of the author(s) and affiliation(s). Abstracts should be camera-ready, typed in a
single A4 page, 1.5 spacing, with 3 cm margins.
Due to the tight schedule of the Workshop, most of the contributed presentations will be
relegated to a Poster Session, which will be open throughout the duration of the Workshop in
a hall adjacent to the main Workshop room. Authors contributing to the Poster Session will
be able to start setting up their poster material from 8.00 on 5 February, 1998.
LANGUAGE
English will be the working language of the Workshop. However, efforts are being made
towards securing simultaneous translation in one or two other European languages.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Additional information concerning the Workshop may be obtained by the Organisers at the
following address:
Professor P.A. Assimakopoulos,
Department of Physics,
The University of Ioannina,
451 10 Ioannina,
Greece.
Tel. +30-651-47235
+30-651-98551
Fax +30-651-98553
e-mail: pasimak@cc.uoi.gr
__________________________________________________________
A STOA WORKSHOP
Survey and evaluation of criticism of basic safety standards
for the protection of workers and the public against ionising radiation
Brussels, 5 February, 1998
___________________________________________________________
Please return the completed form, no later than 19 January, 1998 to
Professor P.A. Assimakopoulos, Tel. +30-651-47235
Department of Physics, +30-651-98551
The University of Ioannina, Fax +30-651-98553
451 10 Ioannina, e-mail: pasimak@cc.uoi.gr
Greece.
I wish to attend the STOA Workshop on Survey and evaluation of criticism of basic safety
standards for the protection of workers and the public against ionising radiation [ ]
Name: _____________________________________________________________
Organisation: ________________________________________________________
Position in the Organisation: ____________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Telephone: __________________ Fax: __________________
e-mail: _____________________
I wish to submit a contributed paper* [ ]
I prefer to present my paper in the Poster Session of the Workshop* [ ]
Tentative title of my presentation: _______________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Date: _________________ Signature: ____________________________
____________
* If checked, please submit, with abstract, as early as possible and certainly before 12 January, 1998.
CIRC1w.doc