On 8 August 2004, the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) formally began open, public consultation on what was then referred to as the draft 2005 Recommendations of ICRP. As most readers will know, this was published in due course as Publication 103 , The 2007 Recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP, 2007). This was only one step in what Lars-Erik Holm, ICRP Chairman at the time of publication of the 2007 Recommendations, referred to in the editorial to that publication as a much more open process than that used for the development of the previous recommendations. However, it was a key step. Being managed through the ICRP website, it opened up the possibility for anyone, anywhere, with an internet connection and an interest in radiological protection, to review the draft document and submit comments directly to ICRP. Since then, ICRP has conducted 26 more public consultations on draft publications. Today, this important step is integrated into the development of most ICRP publications, the notable exceptions being those that are essentially collections of tabulated numbers, and the present publication. Public consultation was not sought on this publication because the papers contained herein are not recommendations of ICRP and do not necessarily represent the views of ICRP; they are the work of the individual authors.