European Metrology Network for Radiation Protection​

Radioactive decay occurs in unstable nuclides with an excess of protons or neutrons in the nucleus. Accurate knowledge of the decay process is vital in the nuclear industry where it is used in waste processing, storage, powerplant decommissioning or adherence to Directives such as 2013/59/Euratom on basic safety standards for p...

Ionizing radiation can cause sickness or even death in those exposed to it. Nuclear incidents can arise by accident or, potentially, by direct acts of terrorism. In both scenarios an accurate knowledge of the amount and type of radiation present is important to allow appropriate decisions and introduce countermeasures. Static ...

Major nuclear disasters are rare but when they occur large amounts of radionuclides, are released. In 1986 explosions at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (NPP) covered an area of Europe greater than 200 000 km2 with radioactive caesium and other radioactive nucleotides. Twenty-five years later, in 2011, a tsunami disrupted the...

Europe’s health services face demands for breakthrough cancer therapies assured as safe, personalised, and able to cost-effectively treat patients. In 2020, 2.7 million people in the European Union received a cancer diagnosis. About half underwent radiotherapy, including during diagnosis. Image-guided radiation therapies becam...

Should cancer incidence rates rise as predicted, Europe’s health services will face escalating demands for investment in advanced therapies assured as safe, personalised, and cost-effective. In 2020, 2.7 million people in the European Union received a cancer diagnosis. About half underwent radiotherapy, including during diagno...

A large proportion of nuclear power plant waste has minimal radioactive content, well below biologically hazardous levels, and once classified as ‘free release’ it can be sent for recycling. However, all nuclear waste is necessarily subject to strict regulations governing its release and the criteria for free release into the e...

In 2020, 2.7 million people in the European Union were diagnosed with cancer and 1.3 million lives were lost to the disease. The EU Commission supports research to improve prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Quality of life for patients during treatment is also a priority, and is an important factor for ev...

In Europe 1 in 8 women develop breast cancer before the age of 85, and early diagnosis increases survival chances. National x-ray screening programmes are being introduced throughout the EU, underpinned by a measurement traceability hierarchy to ensure the quality of the services provided. This includes checking that EU safety ...

Following a major nuclear incident, fast decisions are needed on issues from protecting the public to prevention of contaminated food entering the supply chain. Different radioactive isotopes, or radionuclides, present different risks. For example, radioactive iodine can accumulate in the thyroid gland, whilst caesium on grass ...

Treating cancerous tumours with radiotherapy requires precisely targeted treatments to be delivered directly to the cancerous cells without harming surrounding healthy tissue. For example with facilities like gamma knife, up to 200 low power beams, which individually do little harm can be focused to a single area of just a few ...