# International Radiation Protection Association

The International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA) is an independent non-profit association of national and regional radiation protection societies, and its mission is to advance radiation protection throughout the world. It is the international professional association for radiation protection.
IRPA is recognized by the IAEA as a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) and is an observer on the IAEA Radiation Safety Standards Committee (RASSC).
IRPA was formed on June 19, 1965, at a meeting in Los Angeles; stimulated by the desire of radiation protection professionals to have a world-wide body. Membership includes 50 Associate Societies covering 65 countries, totaling approximately 18,000 individual members.

## Structure

The General Assembly, made up of representatives from the Associate Societies, is the representative body of the Association. It delegates authority to the Executive Council for the efficient administration of the affairs of the Association.
Specific duties are carried out by IRPA Commissions, Committees, Task Groups and Working Groups:
* Commission on Publications
* Societies Admission and Development Committee
* International Congress Organising Committee
* International Congress Programme Committee
* Montreal Fund Committee
* Radiation Protection Strategy and Practice Committee
* Regional Congresses Co-ordinating Committee
* Rules Committee
* Sievert Award Committee
* Task Group on Security of Radioactive Sources
* Task Group on Public Understanding of Radiation Risk
* Working Group on Radiation Protection Certification and Qualification

## Associate societies

The following is a list of the 50 Associate Societies (covering 65 countries):
| State | Member Organisation | Date of membership |
| Argentina | Sociedad Argentina de Radioprotección | 1966 |
| Australasian | Australasian Radiation Protection Society ( Australia & New Zealand) | 1976 for Australia 1999 for Australasian |
| Austria | Österreichischer Verband für Strahlenschutz | 1966 |
| Belgium | Belgian Association for Radiological Protection | 1965 |
| Brazil | Sociedade Brasileira de Proteção Radiológica | 1989 |
| Bulgaria | Bulgarian Association of Radiobiology and Radiation Protection | 2007 |
| Cameroon | Cameroon Radiological Protection Society | 2013 |
| Canada | Canadian Radiation Protection Association | 1979 |
| China | Chinese Society of Radiation Protection | 1989 |
| Colombia | Asociación Colombiana de Protección Radiológica | 2008 |
| Croatia | Croatian Radiation Protection Association | 1992 |
| Cuba | Cuban Physics Society, Radiation Protection Section | 1997 |
| Cyprus | Cyprus Association of Medical Physics and BioMeedical Engineering | 1992 |
| Czech Republic | Czech Society for Radiation Protection | 1968 |
| Eastern Africa | Eastern Africa Association for Radiation Protection ( Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda) | 2004 |
| Egypt | IRPA Egypt Radiation Protection | 1992 |
| France | Société Française de Radioprotection | 1965 |
| German-Swiss | German-Swiss Association for Radiation Protection ( Germany & Switzerland) | 1965 |
| Ghana | Ghana Association for Radiation Protection | 2016 |
| Greece | Greek Radiation Protection Association | 1988 |
| Hungary | Health Physics Section of the Roland Eötvös Physical Society | 1966 |
| India | Indian Association for Radiation Protection | 1969 |
| Iran | Iranian Radiation Protection Society | 2011 |
| Ireland | Irish Radiation Research Society | 1984 |
| Israel | Israel Society for Radiation Protection | 1965 |
| Italy | Associazione Italiana di Radioprotezione | 1965 |
| Japan | Japan Health Physics Society | 1965 |
| Korea | Korean Society for Radiation Protection [ko] | 1976 |
| Lithuania | Radiacines saugos centras | 2002 |
| Madagascar | Institut National des Sciences et Techniques Nucléaires | 1999 |
| Malaysia | Malaysian Radiation Protection Association | 2006 |
| Mexico | Sociedad Mexicana de Seguridad Radiológica | 1976 |
| Morocco | Association Marocaine de Radioprotection | 2004 |
| Netherlands | Nederlandse Vereniging voor Stralingshygiëne | 1965 |
| Nigeria | Nigeria Society for Radiation Protection | 2016 |
| Nordic | Nordic Society for Radiation Protection ( Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden) | 1965 |
| Peru | Sociedad Peruana de Radioproteccion | 1989 |
| Philippines | Philippine Association for Radiation Protection | 1966 |
| Poland | Polskie Towarzystwo Fizyki Medycznej | 1970 |
| Portugal | Sociedade Portuguesa De Protecção Contra Radiacoes | 1995 |
| Romania | Societatea Romana De Radioprotectie | 1992 |
| Russia | Sectiya Radiazionnoy Gigieny of Russia | 1972 |
| Serbia-Montenegro | Radiation Protection Society of Serbia and Montenegro ( Serbia & Montenegro) | |
| Slovak Republic | Slovak Society of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Hygiene | 1995 |
| Slovenia | Radiation Protection Association of Slovenia | 1992 |
| Southern Africa | Southern African Radiation Protection Association ( South Africa, Namibia, Botswana) | 1969 |
| Spain | Sociedad Española de Protección Radiológica | 1982 |
| Tunisia | Tunisian Radiation Protection Society | 2015 |
| United Kingdom | Society for Radiological Protection | 1965 |
| Uruguay | Uruguayan Society of Radioprotection | 1999 |
| USA | Health Physics Society | 1965 |
| Venezuela | Sociedad Venezolana de Protección Radiológica | 2012 |

## List of International Congresses

The 2032 Congress (IRPA18) will be in Australia.
The 2028 Congress (IRPA17) will be in Spain.

### Past Congresses

IRPA 16 Orlando, July 2024
IRPA 15 Seoul, January 2021
IRPA 14 Cape Town, May 2016
IRPA 13 Glasgow, May 2012
IRPA 12 Buenos Aires, October 2008
IRPA 11 Madrid, May 2004
IRPA 10 Hiroshima, May 2000
IRPA 9 Vienna, April 1996
IRPA 8 Montreal, May 1992
IRPA 7 Sydney, April 1988
IRPA 6 Berlin, May 1984
IRPA 5 Jerusalem, March 1980
IRPA 4 Paris, April 1977
IRPA 3 Washington, September 1973
IRPA 2 Brighton, May 1970
IRPA 1 Rome, September 1966

## International Cooperation

IRPA maintains relations with many other international organizations in the field of radiation protection, such as those listed here.

### Inter-Governmental Organizations

* IAEA- International Atomic Energy Agency
* ILO- International Labour Organization
* NEA- Nuclear Energy Agency
* UNSCEAR- United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation
* WHO- World Health Organization

### Non-Governmental Organizations

* ICNIRP- International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection
* ICRP- International Commission on Radiological Protection
* ICRU- International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements
* ISO- International Organization for Standardization

### Professional Organizations

* IOMP - International Organization for Medical Physics
* ISR - International Society of Radiology
* ISRO - International Society for Radiation Oncology
* WFNMB - World Federation of Nuclear Medicine and Biology

## Awards
### Rolf M. Sievert Award

Commencing with the 1973 IRPA Congress, each International Congress has been opened by the Sievert Lecture which is presented by the winner of the Sievert Award. This award is in honour of Rolf M. Sievert, a pioneer in radiation physics and radiation protection.
The Sievert Award consists of a suitable scroll, certificate or parchment, containing the name of the recipient, the date it is presented, and an indication that the award honours the memory of Professor Rolf M. Sievert.
The recipients of the Sievert Award are listed below:
* 1973 Prof. Bo Lindell [sv] (Sweden), Radiation and Man Health Physics 31 (September), pp 265–272, 1976
* 1977 Prof. W.V. Mayneord (United Kingdom), The Time Factor in Carcinogenesis Health Physics 34 (April), pp 297–309, 1978
* 1980 Lauriston S. Taylor (USA), Some Nonscientific Influences on Radiation Protection Standards and Practice Health Physics 39 (December), pp 851–874, 1980
* 1984 Sir Edward Pochin (United Kingdom), Sieverts and Safety Health Physics 46(6), pp 1173–1179, 1984
* 1988 Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Jacobi [de] (Germany), Environmental Radioactivity and Man Health Physics 55(6), pp 845–853, 1988
* 1992 Dr. Giovanni Silini (Italy), Ethical Issues in Radiation Protection Health Physics 63(2), pp 139–148, 1992
* 1996 Dr. Daniel Beninson (Argentina), Risk of Radiation at Low Doses Health Physics 71(2), pp 122–125, 1996
* 2000 Prof. Dr. Itsuzo Shigematsu (Japan), Lessons from Atomic Bomb Survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki Health Physics 78(3), pp 234–241, 2000
* 2004 Dr. Abel J. Gonzalez (Argentina), Protecting Life against the Detrimental Effects Attributable to Radiation Exposure: Towards a Globally Harmonized Radiation Protection Regime Paper prepared for IRPA
* 2008 Prof. Christian Streffer [de] (Germany), Radiological Protection: Challenges and Fascination of Biological Research Stralenschutz Praxis 2009/2, pp 35–45, 2009
* 2012 Dr. Richard Osborne (Canada), A Story of T Lightly edited transcript of Dr. Osborne's lecture
* 2016 Dr. John Boice (USA), How to Protect the Public When you Can't Measure the Risk - The Role of Radiation Epidemiology
* 2020 Prof. Dr. Eliseo Vañó (Spain)