Radiation is present in many aspects of our everyday lives, from radioactive materials used in industrial processes to medical and communication devices.
As the national authority for radiation protection in Singapore, the Centre for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Science (CRPNS) administers and enforces the Radiation Protection Act and Regulations through a system of licensing, notification, authorisation, inspection, and enforcement.
In addition, CRPNS offers the following radiation services:
Consultancy Services
CRPNS provides consultancy services to industries, hospitals and some government agencies. These consultancy services include monitoring of radiation levels in industries, medical institutions and residential premises.
Technical Services
CRPNS provides calibration, monitoring, analysis and testing services for radiation protection purposes.
Gamma Spectroscopy Analysis
A quick and accurate assessment of any release of radioactivity to the environment is important for the protection of public health, especially if the released radioactivity can enter the food chain, or result in unnecessary radiation exposure to the population. Analysis is performed on food samples, water, soil and industrial materials.
Companies or individuals who would like such tests to be conducted on their food samples, water, soil or industrial materials may send their samples to CRPNS. CRPNS provides the service of detecting radioactivity in food and environmental samples, and industrial materials using a high purity germanium (HPGe) detector.
Wipe Test for Sealed Sources
Under the Radiation Protection (Ionising Radiation) Regulations 2000, every person who possesses or has under his control any sealed source shall ensure that a wipe test for leakage of radioactive substance is made by a qualified individual at least once in every period of 12 months.
CRPNS provides the service of analysing the wipe sample for presence of radioactive contamination.
Calibration
Any radiation monitoring equipment used in connection with any radiation work (e.g. survey meters, direct reading personal dosimeters, etc.) must be calibrated once every 12 months by an approved person. CRPNS maintains a Secondary Standards Dosimetry Laboratory (SSDL) for Protection and Environmental Dosimetry and is able to carry out calibration of such equipment and devices.
Personal Monitoring
Under the Radiation Protection (Ionising Radiation) Regulations 2000, every individual who is working with ionising radiation shall wear a personal monitoring device. Under these Regulations, it is the responsibility of the licensee to provide radiation workers with approved personal monitoring devices and to ensure that these devices are processed at regular intervals.
CRPNS provides the service of analysing the radiation dose recorded on the personal monitoring devices.
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OTHER TOPICS:
Laser Pointers
Information on laser pointers can be found at this link: Laser Pointers
Education
To promote the safe use of ionising and non-ionising radiation, the Singapore Environment Institute (SEI) conducts courses in its radiation safety series for radiation workers on various aspects of radiation safety.
The courses in the Radiation Safety Series are:
Please refer to SEI's website on information for the Radiation Safety Series courses.