There is no question in radiation biology that the severity of sickness increases at high doses. Nevertheless, it is important when considering everyday radiation protection to be able to estimate the risk of a mutation of the genetic material, and thus the risk of cancer, even in the low dose range.
With high doses, the severity of the radiation effect increases beyond that of a threshold dose. While the chances of survival up to a certain radiation exposure remain unaffected, very high doses, such as those measured on the Chernobyl site after the reactor accident, will lead to death within a very short time period.
With her departure, the ENSI Board is losing a member who brought important know-how and experience to the Board in the areas of safety, organisational culture and risk management.
The discovery of X-rays triggered an explosion of interest. The euphoria was, however, tempered as more and more information became known about the side effects. Radiation biology examines how radiation acts on cells and tissues.
The international conference “A Decade of Progress after Fukushima Daiichi” was held in Vienna from 8 to 12 November 2021. ENSI also took part in the conference.
On the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the Mont Terri Rock Laboratory in the town of St Ursanne, Marc Kenzelmann, Director General of the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI), pointed out the great importance of independent research at Mont-Terri.
Swiss nuclear safety oversight complies with the internationally applicable standards of the IAEA regulatory framework. This is the outcome of the IRRS mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency that concluded on Friday.
The IRRS mission will be taking place in Switzerland from 18 to 29 October 2021. As part of this mission, experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will be reviewing the Swiss regulatory system and ENSI’s work.
Since 11 March 2011, ENSI has been addressing the lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi reactor accident. To mark the tenth anniversary, ENSI is publishing a further report, and considering its regulatory approaches and methods in respect of human and organisational factors.
