The Environmental Radiation Protection Centre of the Radiation Protection Institute as established by the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission undertakes research into environmental radiation protection and provides technical services. The Centre provides quality and reliable services for measurement of naturally occurring radionuclides in the environment such as in soils, water and radon gas monitoring in dwellings and workplaces, and food products. It also undertakes radiation contamination measurements on samples of milk, cocoa, coffee, fish, meat, poultry, etc in support of international trade. One other major activity of the Centre is the measurements of NORM in Oil and Gas Production and the mining industry.

    The Centre provides technical support to the Regulatory Authority to perform its functions through laboratory services. The Centre has three state-of-the-art laboratories for this purpose namely, Radon, Alpha-Beta, and Gamma spectroscopy laboratories.

    Staff

    The center has a total of fourteen (14) staff members, with three (3) Principal Research Scientist, one (1) Research Scientists, three (3) Assistant Research Scientists, three (3) Senior Technologists, three (3) Technologists, and one (1) Laboratory Technician.

     

    Activities of the Centre

    The Activities of the Centre include:

    Gamma Laboratory/ Alpha-Beta Laboratory

    • Assessment of food and water samples for radioactive contamination
    • Analysis of environmental samples for radioactive contamination
    • Analysis and measurement of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) in mining and extractive industries.

    Radon Laboratory

    • Survey of radon in workplaces, dwellings, and extractive industries such as the mining and oil and gas industry.

     

    Ongoing Projects

    • Radiation monitoring and baseline establishment for Newmont Ahafo North
    • Radon monitoring for underground mines at Chirano in the Western North region.

     

    Featured Publications

    F. Otoo, E. O. Darko, M. Garavaglia, O. K. Adukpo, J.K. Amoako, J. B. Tandoh, S. Nunoo, S. Inkoom and S. Adu. Assessment of natural radioactivity and radon exhalation rate associated with rock properties used for construction in the greater Accra region, Ghana. Radio. Nucl. Chem., (2021) https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-021-07709-9

     

    Abdallah M. A. Dawood, Emmanuel O. Darko, and Eric T. Glover, (2021). Ghana’s Nuclear Power and its Potential to Curtail Carbon Dioxide Emission. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-021-02206-9.

     

    A. M. A. Dawood, E. O. Darko, E. T. Glover, (2021). Developing Radiation Safety Culture in Ghana – The Role of the Radiation Protection Institute of Ghana. Journal of Medical Physics and Applied Sciences. ISSN 2574-285X. https://medicalphysics.imedpub.com/

     

    Otoo, F., Darko, E.O., Garavaglia, M., Adukpo, O.K., Amoako, J.K., Tandoh, J.B., Inkoom, S., Nunoo, S., Adu, S. (2021). Assessment of natural radioactivity and radon exhalation rate associated with rock properties used for construction in the greater Accra region, Ghana. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-021-07709-9. [SCOPUS; Web of Science]

     

    C. Bangou, F. Otoo and E. O. Darko. Performance testing and comparative study of natural radioactivity in soil samples using high purity germanium (HPGe) detector. Methods X (2021) 8, 101397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2021.101397.

     

    F. Otoo, I. Arhin and E. O. Darko. Studies of radon levels, radium concentration, and estimated effective dose in dwellings and soils in gold mining towns in Abirem of Eastern region of Ghana. Radiat. Protect. Dosim. (2020),1-14, DOI:10.1093/rpd/ncaa129.

    F. Otoo, I. Arhin and E. O. Darko. Studies of radon levels, radium concentration and estimated

    effective dose in dwellings and soils in gold mining towns in Abirem of Eastern region of Ghana.

    Radiat. Protect. Dosim. (2020),1-14, DOI:10.1093/rpd/ncaa129

     

    Kpeglo D.O., Mantero J., Darko E.O., Faanu A., Amoatey E.A., Manjón G., Vioque I. and GarcíaTenorio R. Assessment of natural radioactivity levels and associated radiological hazard in scale and sludge from Jubilee oilfield of Ghana (2019). Int. J. Low Radiation, 11(2): 143–157