Radiation, Risk and Ethics

Radiation, Risk and Ethics provides a theoretical and philosophical evaluation of why ethics matters for radiation protection, considering ethical questions such as harm, acceptability of risks, intention and the burden of proof. This includes a comprehensive introduciton to ethical theory, a discussion of the morally relevant aspects of actions linked to radiation exposure and an evaluation of radiation protection principles (including the latest ICRP recommendations) against ethical theory. A central thesis of the book is that ethics can be a tool to help improve the assessment and management of risks, illustrating the interaction between science, policy and values, and offering practical advice on risk evaluation for scientists, authorities and regulators.

• Showing why the size of the dose is not the only thing that matters when judging acceptability of radiation risks

Deborah Oughton is professor in nuclear and environmental chemistry, and research director of the Centre of Environmental Radioactivity, at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB). Since the early 1990s, through the support of the Norwegian Ethics Programme, she has combined a career in science with study and research on the ethical implications of radiation risk. She currently holds an associated professorship in Research Ethics at the University of Oslo, is deputy head of the National Committee on Research Ethics in Science and Technology, and ethics coordinator at UMB. She has published widely in both science and ethics, and has been a strong advocate of putting ethics into practice in radiation risk management.