The Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII), ''An Institiúid Éireannach um Chosaint Raideolaíoch'', was an independent public body in
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
under the aegis of the
Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment. The RPII was established in 1992 under the Radiological Protection Act 1991, which conferred on the RPII a broad remit in relation to radiological protection in Ireland. The RPII was merged with the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in August 2014, as part of the Irish Government's Public Sector Reform Plan. RPII's functions are now carried out by the Office of Radiation Protection and Environmental Monitoring within the EPA.
The general functions of the ORP are:
:*To provide advice to the Government, the
Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government and other Ministers on matters relating to
radiological safety.
:*To provide information to the public on any matters relating to radiological safety which the ORP deems fit.
:*To maintain and develop a national laboratory for the measurement of levels of
radioactivity in the environment, and to assess the significance of these levels for the Irish population.
:*To provide a personnel
dosimetry
Radiation dosimetry in the fields of health physics and radiation protection is the measurement, calculation and assessment of the ionizing radiation dose absorbed by an object, usually the human body. This applies both internally, due to ingest ...
and instrument calibration service for those who work with
ionising radiation.
:*To control by licence the custody, use, manufacture, importation, transportation, distribution, exportation and disposal of
radioactive substances, irradiating apparatus and other sources of ionising radiation.
:*To assist in the development of
national plans for emergencies arising from nuclear accidents and to act in support of such plans.
:*To provide a radioactivity measurement and certification service.
:*To prepare codes and regulations for the safe use of ionising radiation.
:*To carry out and promote research in relevant fields.
:*To monitor developments abroad relating to nuclear installations and radiological safety generally, and to keep the Government informed of their implications for Ireland.
:*To co-operate with the relevant authorities in other states and with appropriate international organisations.
:*To represent the State on international bodies.
:*To be the competent authority under international conventions on nuclear matters.
The RPII was the successor to the
Nuclear Energy Board which was formally wound up by the Radiological Protection Act 1991.
See also
*
Office of Emergency Planning (OEP)
*
Nuclear Energy Board
*
Civil Defence Ireland
*
Sellafield
*
Society for Radiological Protection
External links
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Radiological Protection Institute Of Ireland
Radiation protection organizations
*
Environment of the Republic of Ireland
Research institutes in the Republic of Ireland
Clonskeagh