Radiation, environment and security

Part of our Metrology Research Centre, the radiation, environment and security team carries out research activities related to ionizing radiation in areas where accurate measurements are critical human health and safety, such as the accurate quantitation of medical isotopes used for imaging.

Our expertise

The team focuses on the following areas:

Maintenance and development of primary standards for absorbed dose to the skin from beta-rays, neutron-source emission rate and radioactivity
Provision of calibration services and radioactive certified reference materials to Canadian and international clients, for applications such as medical isotopes
Development of new detector technologies such as the Compton imager and a neutron spectrometer, which have been deployed successfully at large international events for counter-terrorism security
Research and development projects related to the measurement of ionizing radiation, which includes developing and characterizing various detector types and carrying out collaborative research projects with Canadian academic institutions and other government departments in Canada

Our latest research

The radiation, environment and security team is developing a new primary standard for radioactive gas counting. Of particular interest and demand, are certified reference materials for the radioactive isotopes of xenon, essential to communities such as the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBO) for global nuclear security.