This Safety Guide is intended to assist governments, regulatory bodies, applicants for a licence and operating organizations with a structured approach to controlling radiation exposures of the public resulting from discharges from normal operations of facilities and activities, and with the optimization of protection and safety. More specifically, this publication addresses the process for authorization of discharges from new and modified facilities or activities, and the review of established authorizations. The guidance applies to different types of facilities, which range from nuclear installations to applications of radioisotopes in industry, medicine and research. It also covers the controllable releases to the environment in normal operation that may result from the mining and processing of ores for the extraction of uranium or thorium as part of the nuclear fuel cycle and discharges of naturally occurring radioactive material in non-nuclear industries.