Radiation level monitoring in work field.

To provide adequate safety conditions in its facilities, IEN maintains a team specialized in radioprotection, safety and worker health. Its main mission is to assure the compliance to the safety norms and procedures during the execution of tasks involving radioactive material handling and exposure to ionizing radiation.

The radioprotection group also supports the production of radiopharmaceuticals at IEN, ensuring that product manufacturing, quality control, expedition and transportation match the safety requirements.

IEN also operates in research and development of techniques related to radioprotection, such as individual and environmental monitoring, radiation monitor calibration and gamma spectrometry. The radioprotection sector maintains the following laboratories that can provide consulting services:

• Radiometry and Spectrometry Laboratory
• Radonium Laboratory
• Dosimetry Laboratory
• Calibration Laboratory

Research Lines:

Radonium

Radonium is a radioactive gas that is formed from the radioactive decay of uranium and thorium, the only radioactive minerals found in nature. It is present in several natural environments (caves, underground mines, etc.). High radonium concentrations can be observed in little ventilated closed buildings, such as convention and shopping centers, due to the presence of uranium and thorium in construction materials.

The studies on radonium carried out at IEN since 1994 are considered a South American standard by the International Atomic Energy Agency (AEIA). The scope of this research is to map the occurrence of radonium in the country and find out ways to protect the population against its noxious effects.

Thermoluminescence

With the launching of the Thermoluminescence and Dosimetry Laboratory in 1998, IEN began to use its own dosimeters for individual and environmental monitoring. Thermoluminescent crystals not only measure the absorbed doses but also allow the identification of the type and energy range of the radiation, while providing faster reading and the reuse of the detector. The laboratory project foresees the rendering of individual and environmental monitoring services, besides the development of new dose measurement models and methods.