Regulatory control of radioactive sources in Latvia

The current system of the regulatory control of radioactive sources has been created in Latvia in order to ensure radiation and nuclear safety in compliance with the International Atomic Energy Agency recommendations and European Union requirements. The Radiation Safety Centre was established as an independent regulatory authority responsible for radiation and nuclear safety. It is responsible for the implementation of the provisions of the Law on Radiation Safety and Nuclear Safety and the related regulations. The Radiation Safety Centre is responsible for maintaining a state level the data base containing an inventory of all ionising radiation sources, and a listing of all licensed practices. The operators of ionising radiation sources are obliged to maintain local data base of radioactive materials in their possession and are responsible for their physical inventories. The regulatory system is continuously improved and by now it provides an efficient control over radioactive sources in current practices, and at the same time provides for an adequate handling of consequences of the legacy of the past. (author)