European cooperation in metrology for radiation protection

The societal importance of radiation protection is growing: More than 23 million people around the world are exposed to ionizing radiation sometime during the course of their work. Natural radiation is everywhere and affects everyone. Moreover, radiation protection is becoming ever more intricate and diverse: Given the latest developments, such as pulsed radiation in medical, industrial or technical applications, we are now increasingly dealing with radiation fields of ever greater complexity. To keep pace, the metrology applied in this sector must also move forward, as it is the basis for assuring the quality of the measuring instruments used to protect both humans and nature. After three years of preliminary work, the European Metrology Network (EMN) for Radiation Protection has been launched under the umbrella of the European Association of National Metrology Institutes (EURAMET). It has been created to pool and deepen the competencies of metrologists, radiation protection experts, industry and other stakeholders in this field. Seventeen national metrology institutes, two national radiation protection institutes and a European radiation protection organization are part of this network. This EMN is coordinated by PTB.