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Ionising Radiation

The Ionising Radiation (IR) Metrology Programme provides an effective and efficient national measurement infrastructure for ionising radiation, radioactivity and neutron measurements to enable compliance with legislation, to enhance quality of life through the provision of underpinning support for the health sector and to support important industrial sectors including those involved with power generation, defence, sterilisation of food and healthcare products, environmental remediation and monitoring as well as the nuclear instrumentation sector.

The objectives of the Ionising Radiation Metrology Programme are to:

• Provide and develop the UK primary standards for ionising radiation, radioactivity, and neutron measurements
• Disseminate these standards to the user community through calibration, testing and measurement services, secondary standards, reference materials and reference data
• Promulgate good measurement practices through the provision of information, advice and training courses on measurement techniques
• Participate in the international measurement system, demonstrating the equivalence of UK standards with those of other nations and furthering the development and adoption of improved measurement techniques and harmonised measurement standards and protocols.

The current Ionising Radiation Metrology Programme runs from October 2004 to September 2007. The programme addresses measurement standards, issues and requirements in the following three technical themes:

Radiation Dosimetry
The work carried out in this Theme underpins the UK needs for the measurement of X-rays, gamma-rays, Beta-rays, electrons and high-energy photons and provides for the development, maintenance and comparison of the necessary primary standards and the calibration of secondary standards against them.

Radionuclide metrology
Work in this Theme underpins the UK needs for the measurement of radioactivity. It provides for the maintenance and development of capability in techniques of absolute counting which constitute the primary standards, along with the complementary techniques of nuclear spectroscopy and radiochemistry, which support them.

Neutron standards
Work in this Theme provides the primary standards of neutron radionuclide source emission rate, neutron fluence and neutron dose equivalent, along with a capability to perform neutron spectrometry required to support the application of neutrons in fields including medicine, the nuclear industry, defence, occupational health and safety and research.