HelmholtzZentrum München - Forschungszentrum für Umwelt und Gesundheit GmbH, Institut für Strahlenschutz

Expert advice to ministries (e.g. BMU, BMBF), authorities (e.g. BfS), administrations, industrial companies, national (e.g. SSK, DIN) and international (e.g. ICRU, ICRP, OECD, IAEA, EU, IEC, ISO) expert bodies, media etc. as well as the general public on current radiation protection issues . Teaching and training in own lecture halls (approx. 56 courses per year), at universities and at other training facilities Operation of the official "Evaluation Center for Radiation Dosimeters" for external irradiation (130,000 dosimeters per month) DOSIMO - Dosimetry Online: The comprehensive radiation protection service of Germany's largest personal dose measurement center . Info: http://awst.gsf.de Operation of a radon dosimeter evaluation facility Operation of the GSF accelerators and irradiation facilities and the lAEO/WHO secondary standard laboratory for dosimetry. Special measurement facilities: Measuring stations for gamma and X-ray spectrometry, sensitive beta radiation measurements, and alpha particle spectrometry; active and passive measuring devices for radon and radon progeny; neutron radiation and ambient radiation measuring devices (dosimeters, spectrometers) Measuring stations for luminescence solid-state dosimetry and EPR spectrometry Incorporation measurement station (whole-body counter) and lowest-level gamma spectrometer Mass spectrometer for the determination of isotope ratios Measuring equipment for performing ion-induced material analyses using PIXE, RBS, SIMS and TOF-SIMS Column apparatuses for determining the migration of radionuclides in soil monoliths Large-area wet and dry air deposition samplers, high-volume aerosol samplers, and impactors

Working areas: radiation research, radiation protection/risk, radioecology, environmental physics, biophysics.

For public authorities and administration (municipal, state of Bavaria, other states, federal and international) Cooperation in many advisory bodies (national + international)

HelmholtzZentrum München - Research Center for Environment and Health:  Research for the protection of humans and their environment . The research and development program of the HelmholtzZentrum - Research Center for Environment and Health serves the solution of public tasks in the field of environmental and health research. The work is dedicated to the protection of man and his environment from harmful influences and to the utilization of scientific and technical knowledge for the improvement of health care. Research focus areas of HelmholtzZentrum München:

1. Exposure and process analyses in environmental areas Recording of input and output, transport, conversion and fate of substances and radionuclides. Development of sustainable concepts for products and processes.
2. Effect chains in ecosystems Effects of chemicals (e.g., xenobiotics), gases (e.g., ozone), and radiation (e.g., UV-B) on material cycles and on organisms in terrestrial and aquatic systems.
3. Hazards and environmental resilience: detection, assessment, and prediction of short- and long-term effects using laboratory and field studies and environmental simulations. Development of protection concepts for humans and the environment.
4. Mechanisms of action of chemicals and radiation in cells. Basics of risk assessment: interactions with cellular components and cellular systems. Metabolism and distribution of contaminants in animals and plants.
5. Genome analysis and genetic disposition studies Creation and characterization of animal models for human hereditary diseases, identification, cloning, and functional analysis of new genes; bioinformatics processing of sequence and functional data.
6. Environmental influences on differentiation, development, and carcinogenesis. Molecular basis for genetic control of cell proliferation and differentiation in embryonic and tumor development. .
7. Health Risks from Internal and External Exposures Identify exposure to environmental and occupational contaminants, including aerosols and allergens, and radiation and determine the resulting health risk. Identify, quantify, and evaluate acute, genetic, and carcinogenic damage in cell systems, animal models, and humans.
8. Principles for improving diagnostic and treatment strategies Development and application of molecular biology, signaling, and image analysis methods to human diseases caused by radiation, xenobiotics, or infection.
9. Clinical experimental research for diagnosis and therapy Elucidation of immune system mechanisms and their targeted modulation. Studies on organ systems (hematopoietic system, lung and skin).
10. Improving the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of health care. Assess and advance health care interventions and technologies using epidemiologic, socioeconomic, and telematics methods. Population-based health research.

Working Group- and Topics:

1. Radioecology . WG 1 primarily conducts experimental studies to quantify the occurrence and behavior of radionuclides in the environment and their dispersion from the emission source to humans. If necessary, new analytical methods are developed for this purpose. In the future, this work will be extended to heavy metals and aquatic ecosystems. Measurement of radionuclides in air, their deposition and resuspension Transport of radionuclides within soil and into vegetation Investigations to quantify radon exposure in living spaces, workplaces and outdoors .
2. Medical Physics . Research objectives are to record external medical and internal human exposure and to improve the application of ionizing radiation in medical diagnosis and therapy. In addition to experimental methods, realistic human phantoms as well as numerical methods for simulating irradiation and optimizing X-ray technology with respect to image quality and patient exposure are developed for this purpose. Furthermore, the biokinetics of nuclides in humans is investigated. Improvement of the use of ionizing radiation in radiotherapy Optimization of image quality, image processing and patient protection in X-ray diagnostics Improvement of models for internal dosimetry .
3. Personal dosimetry . This WG primarily improves the determination of personal and body doses in occupational radiation protection. In the evaluation center for radiation dosimeters operated by the WG, 130,000 occupationally exposed persons in 4 federal states are monitored. The main focus of the FE work is the development of new active and passive dosimeter systems and the establishment of an evaluation center for radon measurement systems. Operation of the evaluation center for radiation dosimeters Research and development for improved dosimetric methods (e.g. active dosimeters) Establishment and future operation of a radon measurement service and a sensitive whole-body counter .
4. Risk Analysis . The focus of the FE work is on analyses of the risks of exposures of the population to radionuclides in the environment. For this purpose, the transport of radionuclides through the food chain and effects of exposure-reducing measures are modeled. Exposures that have already occurred are estimated retrospectively by EPR of dental samples and with stimulated luminescence of mineral-containing materials. Carcinogenic effects are quantified using biophysical and mathematical carcinogenesis models for different radiation types and dose rates. Improvement of radioecological models Retrospective dosimetry using EPR and TL/OSL Development of radiation effects models .
5. Radiation Physics . The FE work of this WG aims to improve the use of ion beams for microchemical and mass specific analysis of sample mixtures. Two methods are primarily used, proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Starting in 1997, an atomic force microscope (AFM) will be available for high-resolution topography studies. Environmental analysis using PIXE, SIMS and time-of-flight SIMS Characterization of topographic and mechanical sample properties using AFM Development of new ion beam techniques for highly sensitive environmental analysis .
6. Further education Through courses and informational events, WG 6 provides up-to-date knowledge on radiation and environmental protection to a wide variety of professional groups, such as physicians, teachers, environmental protection engineers, and members of the public service. The events offered since 1960 have been attended by more than 100,000 participants to date. Courses and information events on radiation protection and environmental protection.