§ Lord Jenkin of Rodingasked Her Majesty's Government:
What estimates they have made of the savings that could be made in the nuclear generating industry if the current linear no-threshold model relating to ionising radiation were replaced by a threshold, hormetic, model as suggested in the article in Nature (Vol 421 pp 691/2). [HL2572]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Sainsbury of Turville)We have made no such estimates. The regulatory limits on effective dose for workers and the public set out in Directive 96/29/Euratom are based on the internationally accepted recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). The basis of the ICRP recommendations, which it is not envisaged will change, is to assume the linear no-threshold model.