Monitoring the environment and foodstuffs

In the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Radiological Analysis Service (Service d'analyses radiologiques - SAR) of the Radiation Protection Division (Division de la radioprotection) has been measuring ambient radioactivity – both natural and artificial – since 1983, using a network of automatic measurements and alerts.

Two monitoring programmes

The national automatic measurement and alert network comprises 2 monitoring programmes aimed at:

• monitoring radioactivity in the environment; and
• monitoring radioactivity in the food chain.

Every year, a large number of samples are taken from a range of different biological environments and from the food chain.

The checks are used to:

• monitor changes in residual levels of artificial radioactivity; and
• assess the Luxembourg population's exposure to radioactivity.

This network provides more than 19,000 readings of ambient radioactivity per month, which are fed into monthly public reports.