EULEP and EURADOS held the second cluster meeting of the projects on internal dosimetry currently carried out within the 5^th Framework Programme in Oxford on September 12, 2002. The first cluster meeting was held at ARCS in Vienna one year ago (see Newsletter nr 10). This second meeting used the opportunity provided by the Workshop on "Internal Dosimetry of Radionuclides : Occupational, Public and Medical Exposure", organised on September 9-12, 2002, in New College, Oxford, United Kingdom (see Newsletter nr 11) thanks to the organisers who kindly provided facilities for a satellite meeting following the closure of the Workshop.

This was an especially relevant occasion to meet the recommendations of the first cluster meeting (see executive summary published on EULEP and EURADOS web sites). In particular, the Workshop successfully addressed the complex field of internal dosimetry, as did the earlier workshops in Anger (1986), Versailles (1988), Elmau (1991), Bath (1993) and Avignon (1997). The proceedings of this series of conferences provide a unique set of scientific publications relevant to the different disciplines covering the assessment of exposure due incorporated radionuclides. The proceedings of the present Workshop will contain more than 100 papers presented in about 50 lectures and 80 posters, including those at the cluster meeting. Moreover, before and after the workshop most of the project groups held their contract meetings. The ICRP and the ISO also held working parties around this event. The satellite meeting of the 5^th FP projects could therefore disseminate its information not only to the project coordinators but also to many partners and other interested attendants. Moreover, this large exchange of information took place within the assessment of Expression of Interests of the 6^th FP, some of these EoI being more or less directly related to the field of internal dosimetry (DESIRES, EURADOS, BIOME, ALPHARISK, HEALTHCARAD; http://www.cordis.lu/fp5-euratom/src/projects.htm).

Each of the six projects currently carried out within the 5th FP was presented by its coordinator (see executive summary of the Vienna meeting for more details): F Paquet - Scientific Basis and Development of Internal Dosimetry Models (Project BIODOS); MR Bailey - Database of Biokinetic Parameters Following Entry into the Body of Radionuclides (RBDATA-EULEP Concerted Action); DM Taylor - Biokinetics of Radionuclides and Treatment of Accidental Intakes (EULEP working party); C Schmitzer - Provision of Faster and More Reliable Monitoring Techniques (Project IDEA); G Etherington - Design and Implementation of Monitoring Programmes for Internal Exposure (Project OMINEX); H Doerfel - Guidance on Internal Dose Assessments from Monitoring Data (Project IDEAS); M-A Lopez - Harmonisation (Legal, Dosimetric, Quality Aspects) of Individual Monitoring, and Integration of Monitoring for External and Internal Exposures (EURADOS Working Group).

As illustrated in the diagram above, the two first projects are contributing biokinetics data and generic research relevant to the development of internal dosimetry models, their work programmes being directly related to task groups of ICRP Committee 2. Within working party 5, EULEP is clustering these projects with activities of non-EU funded projects on biokinetics of radionuclides in human volunteers, and on treatment of accidental intakes of radionuclides. The IDEA, OMINEX and IDEAS projects are aimed at providing solutions to improve internal dose assessments and monitoring methods. A EURADOS working group includes internal dose assessment and monitoring in its programme of harmonisation and quality of individual dosimetry. This unique group of projects shows a route to integrate research activities and exploitation of results in a multidisciplinary area such as internal dosimetry.

One concrete outcome of these cluster activities is the dissemination of relevant information to a large group of experts including information about forthcoming events and work-plans, notably:

• the announcement of 2 workshops connected to the design and the organisation of a 4^th intercomparison exercise on internal dose assessments (for further information see www.idea-system.com);
• a training course on internal exposure monitoring programmes (OMINEX, see announcements in this issue);
• short courses on the administration of radionuclides and the interpretation and application of experimental data (RBDATA-EULEP, see announcements in this issue);

the preliminary announcement of the next workshop on harmonisation of individual monitoring (EURADOS).
                                                                                                                                                                                                        

For further information

See EULEP and EURADOS web sites.