In its 1994 collective opinion, Radiation Protection Today and Tomorrow, the NEA Committee on Radiation Protection and Public Health (CRPPH) concluded that societal participation in the decision-making process is becoming increasingly important. This was seen as particularly true in the case of decisions involving complex radiological situations such as those following a nuclear or radiological accident (for example, the Chernobyl accident, or fallout from atomic bomb testing in the Marshall Islands), and other long-lasting exposures (such as areas contaminated by uranium mill tailings). In order to explore this issue further, the CRPPH organised a workshop in January 1998 on the societal aspects of decision making in complex radiological situations.
At the workshop - which was hosted in Villigen, Switzerland, by the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (HSK) - participants concluded that it is no longer possible to take decisions in such situations without a transparent process involving the public from a very early stage. This decision-making process, which is described herein, was also seen as being valuable for other situations, such as the siting of high-level nuclear waste repositories. Recommendations for follow-up by the CRPPH are also included.

-Foreword
-Keynote Address: Decision-Making in Abnormal Radiological Situations by S. Pretre
-The Decision-Making Process in Returning Relocated Populations to the Marshall Islands by T. Bell
-The Decision-Making Process in Dealing with Populations Living in Areas Contaminated by the Chernobyl Accident: The Ethos Project by G. Heriard-Dubreuil and T. Schneider
-The Current Issues in a Contaminated Territory of Belarus by V. L. Pachkiewitch
-The Decision-Making Process in Dealing with Populations Living in Areas Contaminated by the Uranium Mining Residues in Eastern Germany by W. Karus, E. Ettenhuber, and J. Staupe
-The Role of the Media in the Coverage of Risks Associated with Nuclear Waste by O. Renn
-Perceived Risk and Public Confidence by L. Sjoberg
-Involving Communities in Environmental Health Studies by H. G. Stockwell and J. M. Smith
-Engaging the Public in Decision-Making: A Swiss Approach by A. Herrmann