Our Story
Founded in 1980, the Radiation Safety Institute of Canada is an independent non-for-profit national organization dedicated to promoting and advancing radiation safety in the workplace, in the environment and in the community. Our commitment to the principle of “good science in plain language®” guides everything we do.
The founding of the Institute was a direct response to the human disaster in the Elliot Lake uranium mines, where in the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s, thousands of miners were exposed to excessive amounts of radiation from radon in underground uranium mines of Northern Ontario. Over 200 of these miners have since died of lung cancer, leaving spouses and families behind.
Our Mission
Today the Institute has one mission: PREVENTION of injuries and cancers resulting from unacceptable exposure to radiation. The Institute advances its PREVENTION agenda through advice in radiation safety, awareness building, advocacy efforts and reinforcement of radiation safety networks across the country and internationally. Our PREVENTION efforts are supported by a broad variety of radiation safety services that the institute offers to companies and institutions, labour and community groups and to the general public.
Ionizing Radiation Protection Jurisdiction in Canada
The jurisdiction for the regulation of radiation protection for ionizing radiation within Canada depends on the source type and energy range of the emitted radiation, as well as the life cycle stage in some cases. This is a general overview, but you must read the...
EMFs & Implantable Medical Devices
EMFs stand for electromagnetic fields. As the name suggests, they are made up of both electric and magnetic fields. Anything that uses electricity will have electric charges moving through it in a circuit. Because of the charges, the circuit will also be surrounded by...
Honouring the Elliot Lake Miners: 50th Anniversary of the Wildcat Strike – A Legacy of Safety
Fifty years ago, the uranium miners of Elliot Lake led by the United Steelworkers union, took a courageous stand for their health and safety. In an unprecedented wildcat strike, these brave men and women walked off the job in protest of unacceptable working conditions...
Questions about Radiation?
The Institute makes its scientist knowledge available to all Canadians and offers a free-of-charge Radiation Safety Information Service. The service provides answers to the questions that workers, employers, unions, government organizations and public may have about radiation safety. The Institute responds to hundreds of enquiries on an annual basis.
Toll Free: 1-800-263-5803
Email: info@radiationsafety.ca