Institute of Radiation Protection

Font size »A . A+ . A++ .

Institute of Radiation Protection

STRUCTURE

Interim Director: Dr. Peter Jacob
Office: Anita Pedone
Phone: ++49-89-3187-4011
Fax: ++49-89-3187-3323
e-mail:

 

In the ISS there are about 50 scientists and 60 technicians, together with a number of undergraduate and postgraduate students and foreign guests. The ISS collaborates closely with several other scientific institutions both in Germany and in eastern and western Europe, in part through participation in several large EU cooperative projects.

 

RESEARCH AIMS

  • Improvement in the protection from ionizing radiation of the population and of occupationally exposed persons (in particular by research and development work in the areas of radioecology, personal dosimetry, internal dosimetry, and the dosimetry of radon and its progenies)
  • Optimisation of the use of ionizing radiation in medical applications (X-ray diagnostics and radiation therapy)
  • Quantification of the somatic health risks from low radiation doses to individuals in the population and to occupationally exposed persons
  • Improvement of concepts, recommendations and regulations in radiation protection
  • Contributions to the solution of current problems which are raised in consultations
  • Development and application of methods for advanced nano-analytical characterisation of ambient aerosol particulate matter
  • Transfer of know-how into related areas of environmental and health protection research

RESEARCH GROUPS AND RESEARCH TOPICS

1. Radioecology
The research group is concerned primarily with studies related to the quantification of the occurrence and behaviour of radionuclides (e.g. caesium, strontium, plutonium, radon) in the environment, and their transfer from the source to man. New analytical procedures are developed when necessary. In the future, these studies will be extended to heavy metals and to aquatic ecosystems.

  • Measurement of radionuclides in air, their deposition on the ground, and their resuspension
  • Transfer of radionuclides within the soil and from soil to plants
  • Investigations related to the quantification of indoor, outdoor, and occupational radon exposure

2. Medical Physics
Research is focused on the assessment of external medical exposure and general internal exposure of man, as well as on the improvement of the use of ionizing radiation in medical diagnostics and therapy. In addition to experimental procedures, realistic human phantoms and numerical methods are developed to simulate irradiation and facilitate optimization of X-ray techniques in terms of image quality and patient exposure. The biokinetics of nuclides in man are also investigated.

  • Improvement of the use of ionizing radiation in radiation therapy
  • Optimization of image quality, image processing and patient protection in X-ray diagnostics
  • Improvement of models for internal dosimetry

3. Individual Dosimetry
This research group is concerned with improving the determination of individual and whole body doses in occupational radiation protection. The group maintains a facility for the evaluation of the radiation dosimeters which are used to monitor 130 000 occupationally exposed persons in four federal states. The main focus of research and development work is the development of new active and passive dosimetry systems, and the setting-up of a centre for the large-scale evaluation of radon measuring systems.

  • Operation of a centre for the evaluation of radiation dosimeters
  • Determination of aircrew exposure
  • Development of improved dosimetric procedures (e.g. active dosimeters)
  • Implementation and future operation of a radon measuring service and of a sensitive whole-body-counter

4. Risk Analysis
Research is focused on the analysis of the risks of the population exposure resulting from radionuclides in the environment. The transport of radionuclides through the food chain and the effectiveness of exposure mitigating measures are studied. Radiation exposure which has occurred in the past is assessed retrospectively by means of EPR of teeth and by stimulated luminescence of mineral containing materials. The induction of cancer is analysed using biophysical and mathematical models of carcinogenesis for different types of radiation and dose rates.

  • Improvement of radioecological models
  • Retrospective dosimetry with EPR and TL/OSL
  • Modelling of radiation effects

5. Nanoanalytics
Research primarily aims at an advanced characterisation of aerosol particulate matter in the size range between about 10 nm and 10 µm. The most frequently employed analytical techniques are proton induced X-ray emission spectrometry (PIXE), ion chromatography (IC) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS). There is also access to high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Current activities:

  • Quantification and minimisation of artefacts in filter and impactor sampling
  • Size resolved determination of the elemental and chemical composition of atmospheric aerosols
  • Morphological characterisation of collected aerosol matter, notably of carbon nanoparticles
  • Development of advanced techniques for size resolved aerosol sampling

6. Education and Training
Since the founding of the ISS in 1960, this group has organized advanced training courses and information meetings in many fields of radiation protection and environmental protection for various professions such as doctors, teachers, engineers and civil service employees. More than 100 000 people have attended these functions.

Courses and information meetings on

  • radiation protection
  • protection of the environment

SERVICES

  • Expert advice to ministries (e.g. BMU, BMF, BMBF), and agencies (e.g. BfS), the economic sector, national (e.g. SSK, DIN) and international (e.g. ICRU, ICRP, OECD, IAEA, EU, IEC, ISO) professional committees, the media, and the public, on topical questions of radiation protection
  • Instruction, advanced training and further education in our own lecture halls (approx. 56 courses per year), at universities, and for other bodies concerned with education and training
  • Operation of the “Amtliche Auswertungsstelle für Strahlendosimeter” (Official Personal Dosimeter Service) (approx. 130 000 external irradiation dosimeters per month)
  • The (future) operation of an office for the evaluation of radon dosimeters
  • Operation of the GSF accelerators and irradiation facilities, and of the IAEO/WHO Secondary Standard Laboratory for Dosimetry

Special Measurement Facilities:

  • Measurement facilities for gamma and X-ray spectrometry, high sensitivity beta radiation measurements, and alpha particle spectrometry; active and passive measuring equipment for radon and radon progenies; neutron and environmental radiation measurement facilities (dosimeters and spectrometers)
  • Measurement facilities for solid state dosimetry by means of luminescence and EPR spectrometry
  • Whole body counting facilities and a gamma spectrometer for lowest level radionuclide concentrations
  • Mass spectrometers for the determination of stable isotope concentrations
  • Measurement facilities for material analyses by ion beam irradiation using PIXE, RBS, SIMS and TOF-SIMS
  • A large-area collector for wet and dry deposition from the air, high volume aerosol collectors and impactors, lysimeters for the determination of the migration of radionuclides in soil monoliths

Special Laboratories: 

  • A radiochemical laboratory for special nuclides such as plutonium and strontium
  • A radon measuring laboratory with a calibration chamber for radon gas, activated carbon collectors, and an image analysis system for radon and neutron nuclear track-etch detectors
  • A Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory (IAEO/WHO) with X-ray, gamma, and beta radiation calibration sources (2 installations for X-ray irradiation up to 320 kV, a gammatron, a gamma calibrator with 12 sources of Cs137 and Co60, a circular irradiation unit, and a beta radiation secondary standard), Regional Centre of the WHO for radiation protection
  • Low scattering, neutron radiation calibration laboratory with radioactive neutron sources and an installation for the generation of monochromatic neutron irradiation fields

Irradiation Facilities:

  • Facilities for photon and neutron irradiation for medical-biological experiments
  • A Van-de-Graaff accelerator (3.7 MV) for the acceleration of electrons and positive ions from permanent gases
  • Several ion accelerators with maximum accelerating voltages from 10 to 400 kV

Special facilities:

  • A measurement station for meteorological data
  • An accredited facility for the evaluation of personal dosimeters (approx. 130 000 dosimeters per month)
  • 2 lecture halls (seating 126 and 36 persons) with a microphone installation, participant discussion facilities, video projection and television screens
  • Training laboratories for the conduction of courses on environmental and radiation measurements and for X-ray diagnostics