[1]: paragraph 159 It can be used to estimate the total health effects of a process or accidental release involving ionizing radiation to an exposed population.
[1]: paragraph B238 The ICRP states; "Collective effective dose is an instrument for optimisation, for comparing radiological technologies and protection procedures.
This is because the assumptions implicit in the calculation of collective effective dose (e.g., when applying the LNT model) conceal large biological and statistical uncertainties.
Specifically, the computation of cancer deaths based on collective effective doses involving trivial exposures to large populations is not reasonable and should be avoided.
Also the effects of a given radiation dose in the future may be greater (longer life expectancies) or less (improvements in cancer treatment) than for current exposures.