Dose coefficients for the embryo and foetus following intakes of radionuclides by the mother.

Committee 2 of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) has the responsibility for calculating radiation doses from intakes of radionuclides for all age groups in the population. Publication 88 of the ICRP, which has recently been published, describes the development of models used for calculating radiation doses to the embryo and foetus following intakes of radionuclides by the mother. It also gives radiation doses to the offspring for intakes of radionuclides by the mother either before or during pregnancy. The approaches used in the development of the biokinetic and dosimetric models are summarised here together with a comparison of the doses to the offspring with those to the reference adult.