Alara

In preventing occupational hazards, radiation protection is the field in which the precautionary principle of ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) was first applied. It is one of the basic principles of protection against ionizing radiation. This precautionary, optimising principle means assessing and weighing up different options while taking into account sanitary, technical and economic dimensions. For 40 years, acceptance and implementation of the ALARA principle have changed greatly in Europe, with close involvement of the European Commission. In 1991, this resulted in a European ALARA network being set up.