World radiation therapy dosimetry network.

Abstract

The ultimate responsibility for the standardization of radiation exposures and doses within a country lies with the country's national standardizing laboratory, provided that the country has such a laboratory. In the late 1960's, only 17 countries had primary national standards laboratories, whereas more than 100 countries did not. Therefore, the International Atomic Energy Agency undertook a program of developing a network of secondary standards dosimetry laboratories (SSDL) and was later joined in the project by the World Health Organization. By 1982, the network consisted of SSDL's in 35 countries. The United States has three secondary or regional dosimetry laboratories for instrument calibration traceable to the U.S. National Bureau of Standards. Studies of radiation responses of biological systems, including normal and tumor tissue, provide information on the accuracy of dose measurements required for assessment of these responses.