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The BIPM is advancing dosimetry services for National Metrology Institutes (NMIs) by expanding its use of off-site facilities for calibration and comparison services.

Responding to the needs of the metrology community, as of September 2024, the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) is once again offering a calibration service (in addition to a comparison service) for radiation protection at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) ¹³⁷Cs irradiation facility in Austria.

This re-established calibration service of secondary standards assures the traceability to the SI units for the radiation protection level.

Who will benefit from this?

This service is being offered to NMIs and Designated Institutes (DIs) from Member States that maintain secondary standards. However, as this also includes the IAEA, its network of Secondary Standards Dosimetry Laboratories (SSDL) will also benefit.

These calibrations play a crucial role in ensuring the reliability of dosimeters and radiation protection devices used in vital sectors like nuclear safety, healthcare and environmental monitoring.

By re-establishing this service, the BIPM underscores its commitment to supporting global dosimetry and contributing to the international metrology community’s efforts to establish the traceability to international reference standards for radiation protection levels.

Background

The BIPM started to use the IAEA’s ¹³⁷Cs facility in 2023, re-establishing the key comparison BIPM.RI(I)-K5. The key comparison reference value (KCRV) is determined using a BIPM primary standard for high-precision measurements, along with a dedicated measuring system, ensuring rigorous technical accuracy. Through this initiative, NMIs holding primary standards can continue to participate in this ongoing key comparison, updating their degrees of equivalence and further validating their capabilities in disseminating the unit of measurement critical for radiation protection.

Successful comparisons have been carried out in 2023 with the Bundesamt für Eich- und Vermessungswesen (BEV), Austria and the Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Spain, and can be found in the BIPM Key Comparison Database (KCDB). Comparisons with the Laboratoire National Henri Becquerel (LNE-LNHB) and the Główny Urząd Miar (GUM), made in 2024, are in the process of being approved.

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