The National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) was a
public authority
A public-benefit nonprofit corporation is a type of Nonprofit organization, nonprofit corporation chartered by a state governments of the United States, state government, and organized primarily or exclusively for Institution, social, educational ...
in the
UK created by the Radiological Protection Act 1970. Its statutory functions were to conduct research on radiological protection and provide advice and information on the subject to Government Departments and others. It was also authorized to provide technical services and charge for them. Originally NRPB dealt only with
ionizing radiation
Ionizing radiation (or ionising radiation), including nuclear radiation, consists of subatomic particles or electromagnetic waves that have sufficient energy to ionize atoms or molecules by detaching electrons from them. Some particles can travel ...
, but its functions were extended in 1974 to
non-ionizing radiation.
Structure
The Board consisted of a chairman and a maximum of nine other members, later increased to twelve, all appointed by Health Ministers. Throughout its existence, NRPB had 300 members of staff on average. They were located at the headquarters in
Chilton near
Oxford and at laboratories in
Leeds and
Glasgow. The
Department of Health funded the difference between the cost of NRPB and its income by annual grant.
Work
Research on ionizing radiation included:
plutonium exposure;
internal dosimetry; radioactive discharges;
nuclear accident
A nuclear and radiation accident is defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as "an event that has led to significant consequences to people, the environment or the facility. Examples include lethal effects to individuals, lar ...
s and
wastes
Waste (or wastes) are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance discarded after primary use, or is worthless, defective and of no use. A by-product, by contrast is a joint product of relatively minor Value (economics), economic v ...
;
radon hazards; medical x rays;
epidemiology and
molecular biology. Research on non-ionizing radiation included the physics and biology of exposure to
ultraviolet sources,
electricity supplies, and
mobile phones.
As well as a full range of technical services - from personnel dosimetry to radiation surveys - NRPB also engaged in projects such as: the safe transport of
radioactive materials; preparedness for nuclear emergencies; exposure to
cosmic rays; optimization of protection; improved radiation instruments; training courses; a wide selection of publications.
Members of staff contributed to major public inquiries about the
nuclear industry in the UK and supported the UK response to the
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the No. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of Pripyat in the north of the Ukrainian SSR in the Soviet Union. It is one of only two nuc ...
. They also participated in the work of the:
International Commission on Radiological Protection;
International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection;
United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation;
Nuclear Energy Agency; various committees of the
Commission of the European Communities.
Transition
The Health Protection Agency Act 2004 repealed the Radiological Protection Act. On 1 April 2005, NRPB became the Radiation Protection Division of the
Health Protection Agency (HPA). Under the terms of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, the HPA was abolished, and responsibility for radiation protection functions was assigned to the
Public Health England Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards The Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards (CRCE) is a British government environmental research site, run by Public Health England (PHE) in Chilton, Oxfordshire that monitors levels of toxic chemicals and background radiation in t ...
(CRCE) at the
Harwell Science and Innovation Campus
The Harwell Science and Innovation Campus is a 700-acre science and technology campus in Oxfordshire, England. Over 6,000 people work there in over 240 public and private sector organisations, working across sectors including Space, Clean Ener ...
near
Chilton, Oxfordshire.
References
* ''Radiation Protection: A Memoir of the National Radiological Protection Board. .''
* ''The NRPB Era. Journal of Radiological Protection, vol 30, pp 85-92 (2010)''
External links
Health Protection Agency - Radiation
Medical regulation in the United Kingdom
Nuclear technology in the United Kingdom
Defunct public bodies of the United Kingdom
Radiation protection organizations
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