Canadian National Calibration Reference Centre
The National Calibration Reference Centre for Bioassay and In Vivo Monitoring (NCRC) is administered by the Radiation Protection Bureau of the Canadian Federal
The role of the NCRC is in keeping with Health Canada's mandate to protect and preserve the health of Canadians. Specifically, its focus is to provide:
- Independent external quality control on a regular basis through regularly scheduled intercomparisons;
- Improvement of measurement techniques through advice and training; and
- Information on improving calibrations by supplying practical reference standards and the necessary techniques.
While the provision of intercomparison programs is its principal function, the NCRC also provides the following:
- Advice and assistance;
- Bioassay measurements and internal dose assessments of suspected radionuclide intakes;
- Research in collaboration with other agencies on radionuclide metabolism and biokinetics; and
- Methods development in support of its intercomparison programs and research studies.
The NCRC provides a national calibration reference service to universities, hospitals, public utilities and private firms in Canada. This calibration is a critical step in ensuring that measurements of internal radiation doses to workers are accurate.
Quality
The National Calibration Reference Centre (NCRC) was registered to
In addition to having an in-house
Intercomparison programmes
In Vitro
The Bioassay intercomparison program is concerned with the calibration of measurements for
- Uranium
- Tritium
- Carbon-14
- Tritium and Carbon-14
- Fission and Activation Products
In Vivo
The In Vivo Monitoring intercomparison program is concerned with the calibration of measurement for radioactive isotopes directly in the human body. Phantoms or mannequins shaped to resemble parts of the human body are prepared which contain known quantities of radioactivity. Three programs are offered:
- Thyroid
- Lung
- Whole Body
Internal Dosimetry
Cases are sent to participating facilities, chosen by the CNSC, that must be evaluated for the internal dose received. The results are collated by the NCRC and reported back to the regulator.