A brief introduction to ICRP Publication 148:Radiation Weighting for Reference Animals and Plants and the contribution of Chinese scholars

The promotion and application of nuclear fusion is an important national energy strategy. Tritium emissions into the environment have increased, and its application in many fields has become extensive. Accordingly, the probability of human exposure to low-dose tritium radiation also increases. In 2021, International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) Publication 148: Radiation Weighting for Reference Animals and Plants was officially released. Among the selected materials, relevant literature from Chinese scholars and results of research on tritium relative biological efficiency (RBE) are cited. Based on ICRP Publication 148, the author summarizes the RBE values of the effects of low-energy tritium β particles on different biological endpoints, as well as the contributions made by Chinese scholars to tritium research. We further discuss prospects for future research on tritium to promote its in-depth study and suitably contribute to its radiation protection.