The Russian State system for quality assurance of radiation measurements

The State system for ensuring quality of radiation measurements (herein after referred to as - 'System') has been establishing in Russia throughout a long period of time. When arranging the System, any measurements of physical quantities and parameters, which characterize sources and fields of ionizing radiations, were considered as the radiation measurements (RM). The System has some distinguishing features caused by the factors which are basically characteristic for this field of measurements made in Russia. The first factor resides in the fact that in Russia, the RM are currently central problems because of a great number of installations where the ionizing radiations exhibit activity. Among them there are radiochemical enterprises, atomic power plants, research reactors, Navy and Civil fleet with atomic engines, radionuclide diagnosis, radiation therapy etc. The second factor is a great variety of the RM types, stemming from a large number of physical quantities and parameters: specific activity - with numerous radionuclides being measured, the flux and flux density of the charged particles and neutrons - within a wide range of energy, power of the absorbed and equivalent doses - within a wide power range for different types of radiations etc., as well as from a number of problems, the solution of which require such measurements as; technological (at the enterprises and pants), diagnostic (in medicine and manufacture), radioecological (at monitoring laboratories) and so on. The third factor consists in the necessity to conduct quite often the RM for economic subjects such as atomic power plants or ecology organizations which have the same interests and should come to some responsible conclusions related to the fate both of manufacture and of population. To satisfy the above requirements, the System should be arranged in such a manner that it could be used as an objective basis for solution of any problems including the disputable ones which refer to the RM. (author)