Thoracic region apportionment for radiation detriment

["Drew Thatcher" <Thatcher.Drew@home.com>]

In a recent article in Health Physics (Porstendorfer, J. and Reineking, A.,
Health Phys. 76(3):300-305, 1999.), Porstendorfer made use of a relative
sensitivity of partioning for the BB, bb, and AI regions (0.8; 0.15;0.05
respectively) that differed significantly from the average values used in
ICRP 66 (0.33 for all three regions).  Subsequent analysis of the effective
dose is based upon the ICRP 66 value (Birchall, A. and
James, A.C., Radiat Protec Dosim, vol. 53, Nos 1-4, p133-140, 1994 and James
and Birchall Radiat Prot. Dosim, Vol 60 (4)pp321-326, 1995).

Porstendorfer's reference for the varied apportionment comes from Bair (Rad
Protect. Dosim,38:147-152; 1991).  The Bair citation does not provide any
references for the basis of his partitioning.  This apportionment
information was obviously available to the ICRP 66 committee (since Bair was
a member of the committee).  Does anyone have any further information or
references that can further point to the use of Bair's partitioning values
(that Porstendorfer is using) and the reason why the committee for ICRP 66
chose not to use them?  And perhaps why Porstendorfer would choose to use
these older values that were not used by the committee?  ICRP 66 does state
that inadequate information exists to quantify the relative sensitivities.

Sincerely,
Drew Thatcher, MSHP, CHP
thatcher.drew@home.com
360.236.3255


I would like to pose some questions to you
involving two articles in particular.  The articles are:    The
second article:

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