Systems for measuring environmental radioactivity, even in emergencies, reliable, accurate and comparable data

The results of the inter-laboratory comparison carried out, within the framework of an agreement between ISIN and ENEA, for the laboratories of the national Surveillance Network of Environmental Radioactivity (RESORAD) are published in the Report "Interlaboratory Comparison NORM-2021 for the National Surveillance Network of Environmental RADioactivity (RESORAD)”.

The document, drawn up in collaboration with the National Institute of Metrology of Ionizing Radiations of ENEA (ENEA-INMRI), represents a summary of the results of the inter-laboratory comparison called "ILC NORM-2021" and confirms the adequacy of the national system monitoring of environmental radioactivity.

The inter-laboratory comparison exercise, which involved radiometric gamma spectrometry measurements on a solid matrix, was organized for the laboratories of the regional agencies and autonomous provinces for environmental protection (ARPA/APPA) and the experimental zooprophylactic institutes which contribute to the national Environmental Radioactivity Surveillance Network (RESORAD), whose technical coordination, pursuant to current legislation, is entrusted to ISIN.

The quality of the data produced and the efficiency of the systems for measuring environmental radioactivity are of considerable importance, taking into account that RESORAD plays a fundamental role not only in national monitoring in routine conditions, but also in the event of accidental events, such as the Fukushima accident of 2011, and extraordinary situations, such as the one we are experiencing following the Ukrainian crisis. In such circumstances, all laboratories are called upon to make the data of radiometric surveys carried out on the national territory immediately available.

It is therefore important to maintain and support measurement reliability programs with periodic national campaigns to guarantee adequate levels of accuracy, comparability and reliability of the data, making use, as also happens at a European level, of primary institutes for the metrology of ionizing radiation.

The ILC saw a broad and active participation of RESORAD subjects, with 28 out of 30 laboratories participating.

Today, with the inter-laboratory comparison concluded, it is a shared opinion that the collaboration between ISIN and ENEA must not be limited to an isolated event, but rather lead to the creation for the RESORAD laboratories of moments of discussion organized on a regular basis and according to the expectations of the subjects involved.

For publication, here.