ICRP lists types of radioactivity for which dose is meaningless

The 2007 Recommendations of the ICRP (their latest) acknowledge ⁽¹⁾ the complexities and challenges of internal contamination under conditions where energy deposition is extremely heterogeneous. Here ICRP discusses radionuclides emitting alpha particles, soft beta particles, low-energy photons and Auger electrons, stating:

"… the heterogeneous distribution of energy deposition is of concern with respect to the averaging procedure in the low dose range and especially with radionuclides which are heterogeneously distributed in an organ or tissues and which emit particles with short ranges. However, no established approaches are presently available for practical protection practice which take into account microdosimetric considerations or the three-dimensional track structure in tissues and the related energy deposition. Considering the stochastic nature of the induction of cancer and of hereditary disease and the assumptions that one single track of ionising particles may be sufficient for the initiation process, it appears that the present approach is pragmatic for radiological protection with a justified scientific basis. The uncertainty associated with such an approach should be kept in mind."

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References

1 Publication 103, Annex B Paragraph B55