Editing National Radiological Protection Board

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The '''National Radiological Protection Board''' ('''NRPB''') was a [[public authority]] in the [[United Kingdom|UK]] created by the Radiological Protection Act 1970. Its statutory functions were to conduct research on radiological protection and provide advice and information on the subject to Government Departments and others. It was also authorized to provide technical services and charge for them. Originally NRPB dealt only with [[ionizing radiation]], but its functions were extended in 1974 to [[non-ionizing radiation]].

==Structure==

The Board consisted of a chairman and a maximum of nine other members, later increased to twelve, all appointed by Health Ministers. Throughout its existence, NRPB had 300 members of staff on average. They were located at the headquarters in [[Chilton, Oxfordshire|Chilton]] near [[Oxford]] and at laboratories in [[Leeds]] and [[Glasgow]]. The [[Department of Health (United Kingdom)|Department of Health]] funded the difference between the cost of NRPB and its income by annual grant.

==Work==

Research on ionizing radiation included: [[plutonium]] exposure; [[internal dosimetry]]; radioactive discharges; [[nuclear accident]]s and [[Nuclear waste|wastes]]; [[radon]] hazards; medical x rays; [[epidemiology]] and [[molecular biology]]. Research on non-ionizing radiation included the physics and biology of exposure to [[Ultraviolet radiation|ultraviolet sources]], [[electricity]] supplies, and [[mobile phone]]s.

As well as a full range of technical services - from personnel dosimetry to radiation surveys - NRPB also engaged in projects such as: the safe transport of [[radioactive material]]s; preparedness for nuclear emergencies; exposure to [[cosmic ray]]s; optimization of protection; improved radiation instruments; training courses; a wide selection of publications.

Members of staff contributed to major public inquiries about the [[nuclear industry]] in the UK and supported the UK response to the [[Chernobyl disaster]]. They also participated in the work of the [[International Commission on Radiological Protection]]; the [[International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection]]; the [[United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation]]; the [[Nuclear Energy Agency]]; and various committees of the [[Commission of the European Communities]].

==Transition==

The Health Protection Agency Act 2004 repealed the Radiological Protection Act. On 1 April 2005, NRPB became the Radiation Protection Division of the [[Health Protection Agency]] (HPA). Under the terms of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, the HPA was abolished, and responsibility for radiation protection functions was assigned to the [[Public Health England]] [[Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards]] (CRCE) at the [[Harwell Science and Innovation Campus]] near [[Chilton, Oxfordshire]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

* ''Radiation Protection: A Memoir of the National Radiological Protection Board. {{ISBN|978-0-85951-586-3}}.''
* ''The NRPB Era. Journal of Radiological Protection, vol 30, pp 85-92 (2010)''

==External links==
*[http://www.hpa.org.uk/radiation Health Protection Agency - Radiation]

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[[Category:Medical regulation in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Nuclear technology in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Defunct public bodies of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Radiation protection organizations]]


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