RESORAD, the Network that monitors radiological safety in the environment and in food meets in Rome

The 48th meeting of the National Network for the Surveillance of Environmental RADioactivity (RESORAD) was held today in Rome, at the ISIN headquarters.

The meeting represented an important opportunity for in-depth analysis and technical comparison between all the subjects of RESORAD, consisting of the Inspectorate, with technical coordination functions, and the laboratories of the 21 regional agencies and autonomous provinces for environmental protection (ARPA/APPA) and 3 Experimental Zooprophylactic Institutes (IIZZSS).

RESORAD was born from the need to monitor radioactivity in the environment and in food following Italy's accession to the Euratom Treaty in 1957 and the need to strengthen the control system following the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986.
"A concrete example of the effectiveness of the network was the Fukushima event", recalled Francesco Campanella, director of ISIN. "Thanks to the high sensitivity of the measurements, it was a laboratory in the network that detected the first traces of I-131 in atmospheric particulate matter on the national territory, values ​​well below any radiological relevance, but which allowed us to respond promptly to the request for information from the public opinion and the institutions."
The timeliness and transparency in providing the population with reliable information is, in fact, one of the strengths of the RESORAD Network. A prerogative "fundamental to strengthen public trust in the System of Supervisory Authorities that operate to protect the territory and promote a culture of safety that is more widely spread, but also aware and responsible".

One of the objectives of RESORAD is to provide a representative set of radiometric data for the assessment of the dose received by the Italian population following exposure to radiation from radionuclides present in the environment and in food. The information is updated annually and published in the report “National networks for monitoring environmental radioactivity”, the latest edition of which has been online since yesterday on the ISIN website (link).
In 2023, the RESORAD network produced approximately 58,500 measurements, of which approximately 44,000 in 12,300 environmental samples and approximately 13,900 in 4,500 food samples: the levels of radioactivity in the air, water, soil and food were confirmed to be stable and fully in line with those of previous years. The concentrations measured did not in fact present any critical issues from a radiological point of view, posing no risks for public health or the environment. The Network, however, also operates in emergency conditions, in accordance with the National Plan for the Management of Radiological Nuclear Emergencies. An important example was the Ukrainian crisis: since the end of February 2022, the National Information System on Radioactivity - SINRAD and all laboratories have been making available, more frequently, data relating to the monitoring of atmospheric particulate matter in the context of the event, thus ensuring continuous and effective surveillance.