International Radiation Protection Association

The International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA) is an independent non-profit association of national and regional radiation protection societies, and its mission is to advance radiation protection throughout the world. It is the international professional association for radiation protection.^[1]

IRPA is recognized by the IAEA as a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) and is an observer on the IAEA Radiation Safety Standards Committee (RASSC).^[2]

IRPA was formed on June 19, 1965, at a meeting in Los Angeles; stimulated by the desire of radiation protection professionals to have a world-wide body. Membership includes 50 Associate Societies covering 65 countries, totalling approximately 18,000 individual members.^[3]

International policy relationships in radiological protection

Structure[]

The General Assembly, made up of representatives from the Associate Societies, is the representative body of the Association. It delegates authority to the Executive Council for the efficient administration of the affairs of the Association.

Specific duties are carried out by IRPA Commissions, Committees, Task Groups and Working Groups:

• Commission on Publications
• Societies Admission and Development Committee
• International Congress Organising Committee
• International Congress Programme Committee
• Montreal Fund Committee
• Radiation Protection Strategy and Practice Committee
• Regional Congresses Co-ordinating Committee
• Rules Committee
• Sievert Award Committee
• Task Group on Security of Radioactive Sources
• Task Group on Public Understanding of Radiation Risk
• Working Group on Radiation Protection Certification and Qualification

Associate societies[]

The following is a list of the 50 Associate Societies (covering 65 countries):

List of International Congresses[]

The 2020 Congress (IRPA15) will be in Korea.

Past Congresses[]

IRPA 14 Cape Town, May 2016

IRPA 13 Glasgow, May 2012

IRPA 12 Buenos Aires, October 2008

IRPA 11 Madrid, May 2004

IRPA 10 Hiroshima, May 2000

IRPA 9 Vienna, April 1996

IRPA 8 Montreal, May 1992

IRPA 7 Sydney, April 1988

IRPA 6 Berlin, May 1984

IRPA 5 Jerusalem, March 1980

IRPA 4 Paris, April 1977

IRPA 3 Washington, September 1973

IRPA 2 Brighton, May 1970

IRPA 1 Rome, September 1966

International Cooperation[]

IRPA maintains relations with many other international organizations in the field of radiation protection, such as those listed here.

Inter-Governmental Organizations[]

Non-Governmental Organizations[]

Professional Organizations[]

Rolf M. Sievert Award[]

Commencing with the 1973 IRPA Congress, each International Congress has been opened by the Sievert Lecture which is presented by the winner of the Sievert Award. This award is in honour of Rolf M. Sievert, a pioneer in radiation physics and radiation protection.

The Sievert Award consists of a suitable scroll, certificate or parchment, containing the name of the recipient, the date it is presented, and an indication that the award honours the memory of Professor Rolf M. Sievert.

The recipients of the Sievert Award are listed below:

- 1973 Prof.  [sv] (Sweden), Radiation and Man Health Physics 31 (September), pp 265–272, 1976

- 1977 Prof. W.V. Mayneord (United Kingdom), The Time Factor in Carcinogenesis Health Physics 34 (April), pp 297–309, 1978

- 1980 Lauriston S. Taylor (USA), Some Nonscientific Influences on Radiation Protection Standards and Practice Health Physics 39 (December), pp 851–874, 1980

- 1984 Sir Edward Pochin (United Kingdom), Sieverts and Safety Health Physics 46(6), pp 1173–1179, 1984

- 1988 Prof. Dr.  [de] (Germany), Environmental Radioactivity and Man Health Physics 55(6), pp 845–853, 1988

- 1992 Dr. Giovanni Silini (Italy), Ethical Issues in Radiation Protection Health Physics 63(2), pp 139–148, 1992

- 1996 Dr. Daniel Beninson (Argentina), Risk of Radiation at Low Doses Health Physics 71(2), pp 122–125, 1996

- 2000 Prof. Dr. Itsuzo Shigematsu (Japan), Lessons from Atomic Bomb Survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki Health Physics 78(3), pp 234–241, 2000

- 2004 Dr. Abel J. Gonzalez (Argentina), Protecting Life against the Detrimental Effects Attributable to Radiation Exposure: Towards a Globally Harmonized Radiation Protection Regime Paper prepared for IRPA

- 2008 Prof.  [de] (Germany), Radiological Protection: Challenges and Fascination of Biological Research Stralenschutz Praxis 2009/2, pp 35–45, 2009

- 2012 Dr. Richard Osborne (Canada), A Story of T Lightly edited transcript of Dr. Osborne's lecture

- 2016 Dr. John Boice (USA), How to Protect the Public When you Can't Measure the Risk - The Role of Radiation Epidemiology

- 2020 Prof. Dr. Eliseo Vañó (Spain)

See also[]

• Radioactivity
• Ionizing radiation
• Radiation protection
• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
• International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP)
• United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR)
• International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP)
• Index of radiation articles

References[]

External links[]

• IRPA website