Applying Radiation Safety Standards in Radiotherapy

The International Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources (BSS), jointly sponsored, inter alia, by the IAEA, ILO, WHO and PAHO, establish requirements on the legal persons responsible for designing, running and decommissioning practices involving ionizing radiation. These requirements are basic and general in nature. This report is intended to be of assistance to both regulators and users of radiation sources in radiotherapy in applying the BSS to this practice. Regulators will find it useful for reviewing applications for authorization and for inspection of the practice. Users of radiation in radiotherapy may follow the guidance provided in order to comply with BSS requirements or equivalent national requirements. Experts recruited on IAEA missions to advise on the implementation of the BSS for the practice of radiotherapy are expected to use the guidance given in this report rather than their own national regulations and guidance.