Contribution of IERMON in public awareness on environmental radiation

Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) is involved in nuclear energy related activities which range from uranium mining, fuel fabrication, power reactor operations, waste management and other related research and development. Due to various misconceptions about radiation and its effects, concerns are often raised in the media and at other forums. In order to address these concerns DAE is conducting public awareness programmes for general public. It is felt that the Indian Environmental Radiation Monitoring Network (IERMON), with its countrywide presence, is better equipped to contribute in this area of public awareness. This network is present in various parts of country, continuously monitoring the environmental radiation. Based on this data, a presentation was designed and incorporated in plasma monitor based display systems which are being installed at various places for public awareness on environmental radiation. This paper describes the plasma monitor based display system developed at IERMON Central Station, Mumbai. The necessity of such a display system is explained first followed by the description of the system. The system performance is analyzed based on the experience gained through various installations across the country. (author)