Federal Office for Radiation Protection 1989 – 2014: Research. Provide information. Protect.

With immediate effect, a printed copy of the report "Federal Office for Radiation Protection 1989 – 2014: Research. Provide information. Protect." is available free of charge and can be downloaded on the internet at www.bfs.de. It includes a survey of the tasks and work priorities of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) since the Office was founded

Special Edition of Annual report: Download/Order (in German only)

download: to the download: Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz 1989 – 2014 (PDF, accessible) …PDF 8,39 MB

PublicationBundesamt für Strahlenschutz 1989 – 2014

Research. Provide information. Protect.

By presenting selected topics from all radiation protection areas, the publication shows the development of radiation protection and in particular current challenges e.g. in the field of communication with the public.

In their respective prefaces, the BfS president, Wolfram König, and the Federal Environment Minister acting in 1989, Klaus Töpfer, elucidate the establishment and development of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection as well as the staff's self-conception and high demands.

Topics and priorities

Selected technical and organisational milestones as well as tasks and the organisational structure of the BfS are presented in a review paper.
An article about basic issues of the scientific work in the BfS describes how the BfS intends to master its scientific challenges successfully and deal with the three key topics

• Maintenance of competence,
• The scientific work's focus on problem-solving, and
• Quality assurance.

The article about radiation protection and health shows that radiation protection instructions also have to be observed increasingly in the field of cosmetics and spa, apart from radiation protection in the medical field and possible adverse health effects from the application of electromagnetic fields.

The range of topics in the field of radiation protection and the environment covers questions relating to the handling of natural radioactivity and the ongoing development of radiological emergency preparedness – which continues to be necessary irrespective of the phase-out of nuclear energy – through to the further development of structures addressing radiological threats.

The still unsolved issue of safe radioactive waste management is dealt with in detail under the topic of safety of nuclear waste management.

The importance of maintaining and improving the safety of nuclear power plants taking also into account Germany's phase-out of nuclear energy which was decided as a consequence of the reactor accident in Fukushima in 2011, is explained in the topic safety of nuclear energy. That topic also deals with the contribution of the BfS to the safe management of the relics from the use of nuclear energy in Germany.

Furthermore, one article addresses the permanent challenge of modern communication with the public in the conflicted area between complex science and general comprehensibility as well as problems in personnel recruitment and maintenance of technical competence.

Further Annual Reports

The Annual Reports of the BfS since 1997 are available as PDF files (in German only) in the BfS "Digital Online Repository and Information System" (DORIS).