Mr. Chairman,
The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, UNSCEAR, is currently chaired by Dr Lars-Erik Holm, Director General of the Swedish Radiation Protection Institute. In accordance with established tradition, Sweden, therefore, has the honour to introduce the resolution on the "Effects of Atomic Radiation" and to present the report of UNSCEAR (document number A/53/46).
UNSCEAR was established by the General Assembly through resolution 913 (x) of 3 December 1955 in recognition of the widespread concerns about the hazards of radioactive fall-out disseminating from testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere and of the need to collect and evaluate information on the effects of ionizing radiation on man and his environment. UNSCEAR’s mandate is to review published scientific reports and technical documents with the aim of evaluating regional and global exposures of man and to assess the inherent risks of harmful effects. The mandate has been renewed annually by General Assembly resolutions since 1955.
This year we shall be evaluating the continuing mandate and work programme of UNSCEAR and, as requested by the General Assembly in its 52nd session, we must also review the functioning of the Scientific Committee in accordance with, and in the light of, the recommendations made by the WHO and the IAEA.
In the mid-1950s, when the General Assembly initiated the work of the Committee, the principal concern was the hazards of radionuclides in the environment as a result of the atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons. Over the succeeding forty-three years, there has been a cessation of atmospheric testing of weapons, although underground testing has continued. Man-made radionuclides continue to be released to the environment, from the large growth of a civil nuclear power programme and the use of radionuclides in medicine, agriculture and industry. There is an increase in exposures of patients due to increasing access to medical procedures and to new techniques such as computed tomography (CT) and interventional radiology. People are also exposed by their work in industry and health care and subject to elevated radiation levels through air travel. There has also been a growing awareness of the extent to which mankind is exposed to natural sources of ionizing radiation.
UNSCEAR evaluates studies on the mechanisms of interaction of ionizing radiation with biological targets from effects at subcellular, cellular and organ level. Biological effects of radiation include acute tissue damage from high doses, such as from radiation accidents, and late somatic and genetic changes, i.e. cancer and hereditary effects.
The objective of further activities of UNSCEAR is to continue to collect data on radiation doses and to examine the sources of data that are available for assessing the radiation risks, such as cancer and hereditary effects at low doses and dose rates. The aim is also to highlight the critical elements of the mechanisms of oncogenesis in order to relate these to data on dose-effect relationships.
UNSCEAR is the major international body which reviews the exposure of the world population to all sources of radiation – natural and artificial, domestic and occupational, and under normal circumstances as well as after accidents, such as that at Chernobyl in 1986. The levels of exposure from all of these sources change with time and vary in different parts of the world, which requires their frequent re-evaluation by UNSCEAR.
Over the years since 1955, it has become apparent that the primary late effects of exposure of a population to ionizing radiation is the probability of the development of an excess of cancers many years after the exposure. Quantitative radiation risk estimates are derived from epidemiological studies of radiation-exposed populations, e.g. the survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, patients exposed to radiation for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes, radiation workers and individuals exposed to high background radiation. The results of these studies form the basis for quantitative estimates of health effects from radiation exposure of human populations. UNSCEAR has also assessed the effects of radiation on the environment and is now evaluating the combined effects of ionizing radiation and other agents.
In 1995, UNSCEAR began a new programme of review of the sources, exposure and biological effects of ionizing radiation. A comprehensive report, with detailed scientific annexes will be published in the year 2000. Further understanding of the mechanisms of cellular damage and response to radiation and the biological effects in organisms will provide a sounder basis for establishing the risks of radiation exposure.
for the past 43 years, the method of operation and the quality of the reports of UNSCEAR have made an important contribution to the quest for a safe radiation environment. The Committee has become the primary international scientific body reviewing and assessing the health risks of exposure to ionizing radiation. Its estimates have been, and are still being, used by major international bodies including the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and United Nations agencies such as IAEA, WHO, ILO and FAO, as well as the Nuclear Energy Agency of the OECD.
Most national authorities cite UNSCEAR as the definitive authority. They say that it provides a balanced view on levels of exposure and health effects of those exposures. This reputation has been earned because of the excellence and independence of its reports. In addition, UNSCEAR documents guide the direction of research in the field of radiological protection and thus encourage research activities throughout the world.
To this date, the work of the Committee is a remarkable example of high efficiency at a low cost for the United Nations. It has only one scientific secretary with secretarial assistance, and substantial economic support is given by the 21 Member States and their national authorities.
It is against this background that I put the draft resolution on the Report of the Committee before you. It is my hope that, as in years before, it will be adopted by consensus. The text in large parts follows the wording of previous years. This year’s text takes note of the evaluation of the report of UNSCEAR provided by the WHO and the IAEA. A general reference to these evaluations is included in preambular paragraphs 7 and 8. The concrete recommendations contained therein are followed-up in operative paragraph 2.
The Committee’s reports have an unrivalled reputation for independence and excellence and are quoted as the objective and definitive international scientific position. UNSCEAR intends to publish continuing comprehensive assessments of the levels of radiation to which the world population is exposed and continuing reevaluations of current knowledge on the effects of ionizing radiation. These publications will continue to be the basis on which international and national agencies will develop further appropriate protection standards for workers, patients and the general public.
On the basis of this summary of the Committee’s programmes it is recommended that the General Assembly maintain the present functions and role of UNSCEAR, including the present reporting arrangements.
An additional effort has been made to accommodate some concerns of individual delegations expressed before-hand and in the previous year, bearing in mind the possibilities, but also the limitations, of the Scientific Committee and in an effort not to endanger the consensus on this issue.
Mr. Chairman, distinguished Delegates,
It is in this spirit that I would ask for support of the draft resolution. This draft resolution is co-sponsored by all the member states of the European Union and Argentina, Australia, Belarus, India, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, the Russian Federation, Thailand, and Ukraine.
I would like to thank them all for their support.
Thank you, Mr Chairman.