CIRMS HOLDS NINTH ANNUAL MEETING AT NIST.

The Council on Ionizing Radiation Measurements and Standards (CIRMS) held its ninth annual meeting at NIST in late 2000. The organization represents thousands of users of ionizing radiation and radioactive sources engaged in medical radiation diagnostics and therapy, brachytherapy source production, worker radiation protection, industrial radiation processing, sterilization and materials effects, and radioanalytical environmental services. More than 160 participants from industry, federal and state agencies, and national laboratories attended the meeting, and presented lectures and posters in four parallel workshops that addressed the specialties of the four CIRMS subcommittees: Medical Applications, Occupational Radiation Protection, Public and Environmental Radiation Protection, and Industrial Applications and Materials Effects.

CIRMS provides a forum for discussing common ionizing radiation issues; identifying, defining and prioritizing needed work; disseminating information on standards; and organizing workshops and meetings to advance safe and efficacious uses of ionizing radiation technology. The annual gathering of the radiation user community is a key element of the planning processes for state and federal agencies. CIRMS encourages one-on-one interactions, open group discussions, and prioritization of the national measurements and standards needs through consensus.