ARPANSA - Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency

Impact of Radioactivity on the Public and the Environment

ARPANSA maintains scientific expertise, measurement facilities and analysis tool to provide measurement both in the field and in the laboratory.

Radioactive Waste Safety

ARPANSA develops and maintains expertise in safety assessment of all aspects of radioactive waste management and disposal.

Baseline Environmental Radiation Study

ARPANSA is studying the variability of the natural radiation background across Australia and is determining the baseline background levels at selected locations, including the suburbs around Lucas Heights, in the immediate area around the ports that host visits by nuclear powered warships and in regions with high levels of natural radiation.

Vehicle-Based Radiation Mapping System

The ARPANSA vehicle-based radiation mapping system has been employed to measure background radiation levels in the populated areas in the vicinity of Australian ports visited by nuclear powered warships. Measurements have been made in Melbourne, Hobart, Albany, Stirling, Fremantle, Darwin, Gladstone, Brisbane and Jervis Bay and preliminary radiation maps were provided to State representatives at a nuclear powered warships seminar in October 2005.

In excess of 100 000 spectra have been collected along the east coast of Australia and around Perth utilising the vehicle-based radiation mapping system. The measurements will be combined with the airborne radiometric survey measurements of uranium, thorium and potassium ground concentrations across Australia(excluding capital cities), provided by Geoscience Australia, to establish external radiation exposure across Australia.

The analysis of airborne radiometric survey data to assess the levels of natural background across Victoria and to identify locations with elevated levels requiring further investigation has commenced.

Radionuclide Monitoring To Detect Detonation Of Nuclear Weapons

For over forty years, ARPANSA has maintained a program to monitor global fallout from nuclear weapons testing which has involved operating several monitoring stations around the country.

Having ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), Australia is now committed to be part of the global monitoring network being established under the Treaty to detect the detonation of nuclear weapons. ARPANSA has the responsibility for establishing and operating and maintaining Australia’s radionuclide air-sampling monitoring stations.

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