IFRRR – International Foundation for Research on Radiation Risk

The IFRRR is dedicated to bringing about a major increase in independent research into the risks of radioactivity in the environment. It is a private operating charitable non-profit organisation, based in Stockholm, Sweden. Through programs of funding for research projects, conferences, symposia, fellowships and publications the IFRRR will aid basic research in all branches of science relating to the health effects of exposure to radioactivity in the environment.

The main instrument is the ECRR model that provides the authorities and all those responsible for causing exposures, the possibility to adopt a generally precautionary approach, and in the total absence of another workable and sufficiently precautionary risk model, gives possibility to more accurately bound the radioactivity risk. Recent research has shown a failure in the radiation risk model of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), which radiation risk agencies in all nations currently use to regulate public exposures.

The battle for the protection of the DNA of all life forms is here and now – in the form of struggle to establish low dose radiation science. The latest development of events is that “the ruling” but incompetent ICRP and the establishment supporters of its model have set up an operation in Europe called Melodi which is predicated on the idea that so-called “high level experts” will address the clear evidence that ICRP is wrong. Melodi is funded to the extent of billions of Euros but this money will be disbursed by the very people who are currently propping up the structure. It will appear that research is being done, but in reality nothing useful will be done since the “high levels experts” and the group deciding who they are, are embedded in the ICRP system and many work for the nuclear industry and government radiation agencies. Any serious application for funding to examine the effects of low dose radiation will be blocked. The review by Mullenders et al 2009 is co-authored entirely by members of the ICRP radiation risk satellite establishments in Europe, the UK Germany and France and concludes that although there are big problems with the science, the ICRP model is the best we have.

Whilst the budget of the ICRP is enormous, and that of its satellites astronomical, the ECRR has survived to the present day on no institutional funding whatever. It began with small grants from Green Party MEPs in Strasbourg and continued, like many NGOs with small contributions from various charities and the enthusiasm and voluntary work of its members. Its conference in Berlin was funded by a small German NGO and its major conference in Lesvos by a grant from a single individual.

The overall strategic research areas of the IFRRR are:

• Theoretical models to judge and predict the risks of radioactivity,
• Epidemiological studies of health effects,
• Overall assessment of interdisciplinary research in the radioactive hazards,
• Dissemination of research results.