National Atomic Energy Agency

At the turn of February and March this year 40 years have passed since the creation of the National Atomic Energy Agency (the law of 27 February 1982 establishing the PAA came into force on 9 March 1982). In addition to the PAA 40th anniversary logo, this issue also contains the reminiscences about Dr Stanisław Kraszewski, the co-writer of the Polish nuclear law which forms the legal framework for the activity of the PAA as the national nuclear regulator.

The first two articles entitled “The methods of measuring radon in the air, soil and water” (p. 9), “The methods of preventing radon penetration into the buildings and reducing its concentration” (p. 15) demonstrate the following:

• Tools and methods of measuring radon in the air, soil and water applied to define the exposure to radon and short-lived fission products. In Poland, more than 30% of the average annual effective dose from natural sources comes from radon-222 and its radioactive derivatives. Therefore they are an important factor in the exposure of the general population;
• The sources of radon and the mechanism of reducing its concentrations indoors, and the methods and tools applied to prevent its penetration into new buildings.

The next article entitled “The protective effects in the radiolysis of natural and synthetic polymers” (p. 22) discusses the results of studies on the protective effect obtained through adding aromatic compounds to polymers, thus protecting polymers from radiolytic decomposition and its effects. The methods of studies on radiolysis of polypropylene and the formulated conclusions about the studied occurrences and mechanisms leading to the protective effect have been interestingly described.

Other two articles entitled “The competences at the nuclear regulatory body” (p. 27) and “Competence Management and Integrated Management System at DSA, the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Body” (p. 37), discuss the typical functions of the nuclear regulatory review and the organisation of the body implementing such functions, with the aim to assure the competences of personnel necessary to effectively perform those functions. The purpose and results of applying the same methodology in the Norwegian DSA are described in the latter article.

• The first article describes the competence gap study conducted in 2015-2017 at the PAA by applying the IAEA’s SARCoN methodology and its results, and demonstrates possible benefits of implementing this methodology at the PAA;
• The second article appearing in our bulletin for the first time in English gives readers the opportunity to look how, compared to the PAA, similar problems are approached by nuclear regulatory bodies in other countries, in this case the Norwegian DSA.