CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF THE INSTITUTE OFRADIOPROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY IN LOOKING FOR ENVIRONMENTALSAFETY SOLUTIONS FOR THE BRAZILIAN PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTORS

摘要

The Institute of Radiation Protection and Dosimetry (IRD), from the BrazilianrnNuclear Energy Commission (CNEN), holds a singular position in the nuclear energy and radiationrnprotection areas in Brazil. It develops applied researches to support the licensing and control ofrnnuclear and radioactive installations in the country with the aim to protect members of the public,rnworkers and patients against the undesirable effects of ionizing radiation. Doing so, the IRDrncontributes to the safe development and implementation of nuclear technologies in Brazil. One of thernvalues of the IRD is to keep track of the state of art methodologies and researches in the different areasrnrelated to radiation protection, dosimetry and metrology upgrading its expertise to support thernregulator during the licensing process and to discuss with the operator adequate safety solutions tornsolve any potential relevant radiological issue. Training of professionals of the nuclear area, by meansrnof on-going regular courses graduate academic courses is also in the scope of IRD activities. In thisrncontext the IRD promotes discussions to spotlight the research trends and demands of the private andrnpublic sectors in those fields. This paper summarizes the most relevant issues on the perspectives ofrnenvironmental radiation protection and radioecology in Brazil. The elements in this paper come from arnworkshop that was organized by the IRD and sponsored by CNEN and by the Brazilian NationalrnCouncil of Research and Technology (CNPq) that took place in Rio de Janeiro in November of 2004.rnIt is expected that the products of this workshop will give the scientific and technical communitiesrnelements to help in the development of their research aligned with the needs of the country in thesernareas. In terms of the institute perspective the challenge that was pointed out during the workshop andrnto be faced by the institution was to find appropriate means to connect all its activities in a logicalrnframework in order to find the adequate synergism between research and regulatory activities, thatrnallow IRD to give support to the decision making process in the nuclear licensing process and to assistrnits stakeholders in a growing demand scenario, avoiding conflict of interest.