-
Topics
Subnavigation
Topics
Electromagnetic fields
- What are electromagnetic fields?
- High-frequency fields
- Radiation protection in mobile communication
- Static and low-frequency fields
- Radiation protection relating to the expansion of the national grid
- Radiation protection in electromobility
- The Competence Centre for Electromagnetic Fields
Optical radiation
- What is optical radiation?
- UV radiation
- Visible light
- Infrared radiation
- Application in medicine and wellness
- Application in daily life and technology
Ionising radiation
- What is ionising radiation?
- Radioactivity in the environment
- Where does radioactivity occur in the environment?
- Natural radiation in Germany
- Air, soil and water
- Radon
- Foodstuffs
- What radionuclides can be found in food?
- Natural radioactivity in food
- Radiation exposure via food intake
- Natural radionuclides in brazil nuts
- Radiation exposure of mushrooms and game
- Radiation exposure due to natural radionuclides in drinking water
- Natural radionuclides in mineral waters
- Building materials
- Relics
- Industrial residues (NORM)
- BfS laboratories
- Applications in medicine
- Applications in daily life and in technology
- Radioactive radiation sources in Germany
- Register high-level radioactive radiation sources
- Type approval procedure
- Items claiming to provide beneficial effects of radiation
- Cabin luggage security checks
- Radioactive materials in watches
- Ionisation smoke detectors (ISM)
- Radiation effects
- What are the effects of radiation?
- Effects of selected radioactive materials
- Consequences of a radiation accident
- Cancer and leukaemia
- Hereditary radiation damage
- Individual radiosensitivity
- Epidemiology of radiation-induced diseases
- Ionising radiation: positive effects?
- Radiation protection
- Nuclear accident management
- Service offers
-
The BfS
Subnavigation
The BfS
- About us
- Science and research
- Laws and regulations
- Radiation Protection Act
- Ordinance on Protection against the Harmful Effects of Ionising Radiation
- Ordinance on Protection against the Harmful Effects of Non-ionising Radiation in Human Applications (NiSV)
- Frequently applied legal provisions
- Handbook nuclear safety and radiation protection
- Dose coefficients to calculate radiation exposure
- Links
Interlaboratory comparisons
- One of the major tasks of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection's (BfS) Coordinating Office for Internal Monitoring is to support the approved laboratories for monitoring of internal exposures (ALMIEs) in their quality assurance.
- Therefore the Coordinating Office takes care of the regular performance of proficiency tests in the in-vivo laboratories (direct measurements with whole-body and partial-body counters) and the in-vitro laboratories (analysis of biological samples).
These proficiency tests generally consist of two parts:
- a practical part where the laboratories have to determine the activity in an anthropomorphic phantom or the activity concentration in a biological sample, and
- a theoretical part, the so-called case study, where the internal dose has to be assessed by using monitoring data.
One of the major tasks of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection's (BfS) Coordinating Office for Internal Monitoring is to support the approved laboratories for monitoring of internal exposures (ALMIEs) in their quality assurance in all stages of assessing the internal dose. This means that the Coordinating Office performs regular proficiency tests in the in-vivo laboratories (direct measurements with whole-body and partial-body counters) and the in-vitro laboratories (analysis of biological samples).
These proficiency tests generally consist of two parts:
- a practical part where the laboratories have to determine the activity in an anthropomorphic phantom or the activity concentration in a biological sample, and
- a theoretical part, the so-called case study, where the internal dose has to be assessed by using monitoring data.
Also German non-governmental laboratories and laboratories from abroad may participate in the proficiency tests of the Coordinating Office for Internal Monitoring of the BfS. For the participation in the proficiency tests a fee will be charged according to the fee schedule or the service regulations of the BfS respectively.
In-vivo-Intercomparisons
The in-vivo proficiency tests are carried out once a year. They generally include
- the measurement of the activity of a whole body phantom (replication of a human body) with a homogeneous distribution of given radionuclides and
- the measurement of the activity of a thyroid gland-neck phantom (thyroid gland activity of iodine).
Action | Date |
---|---|
Announcement | Beginning of the year |
Preparation of phantoms | |
Carrying out the measuring campaign | Late summer |
Deadline for reevaluations | Up to two weeks after the measuring campaign |
Information about the first evaluations by e-mail | By beginning of the following year |
Statistic evaluation of the results | Spring of the following year |
Possibility of statements by the participants |
In-vitro-Intercomparisons
The in-vitro proficiency tests are carried out once a year. They generally include the determination of the activity concentration of given radionuclides in urine (and/or in faeces).
Action | Date |
---|---|
Announcement | Middle of the year |
Preparation of the samples | |
Forwarding of the samples to the participants | Second half of the year |
Participants inform about their results | Beginning of the following year |
Evaluation of the results | |
Informing the participants about first results (by e-mail) | First quarter of the following year |
Carrying out a workshop with the German-speaking participants | Middle of the following year |
Officially informing the participants about the results including the respective BfS report | End of the following year |
Realisation of case studies
Additional to the proficiency tests for quality assurance of laboratories for monitoring of internal exposures, dosimetrical case studies are carried out once a year as well. Also German non-governmental laboratories and laboratories from abroad may participate in the evaluation of case studies of the Coordinating Office for Internal Monitoring of the BfS.
In this theoretical part, on the basis of monitoring data the internal dose has to be assessed. These data can be fictitious or can be based on a real case of in-vivo and in-vitro monitoring and are described in detail in the specific case. Participation in the case studies is independent from the proficiency tests and does not require the capability to conduct measurements of internal exposures.
The time of the realisation of the case studies is matched with the intercomparisons. Announcement, distribution, and evaluation of the case studies are taking place in the third quarter of the running year. The final results including a model answer will be dispatched in the first quarter the following year.
State of 2024.01.26