Research and Environmental Surveillance

Sisko Salomaa Research director, Professor

PhD Sisko Salomaa, is responsible for the overall conduct of research at STUK.

Docent in genetics (University of Helsinki), extensive experience in radiation protection, radiation biology, health effects of radiation, genetic, toxicology and human biomonitoring. She has acted as an invited expert to IAEA, WHO and EU, and coordinated international research projects related to non-targeted effects of radiation and genetic effects of nuclear weapons testing.  

Department

There are eight laboratories in the Department of Research and Environmental Surveillance. Seven of these are situated in Helsinki and one in Rovaniemi (Regional Laboratory in Northern Finland). In addition, research work is also carried out in the Department of Radiation Practices Regulation and in the Laboratory of Non-ionizing Radiation.

The number of permanent employees in the department was 97 in the end of 2007. In addition, there were 14 fixed-term  employees. Educational background of the scientists is mostly in the natural, life and technical sciences.

Besides research, the department has three other main functions: environmental surveillance, emergency preparedness and services. This creates a synergy between the different functions. 

	Tarja K. Ikäheimonen, Director PhD Tarja K. Ikäheimonen is responsible for management of the Research and Environmental surveillance department. PhD in radiochemistry (University of Helsinki), extensive experience in radiochemistry including methods of measurements, radioecology both in terrestrial and aquatic environments, international research projects and emergency preparedness, as well as long experience in quality management from developing process to continually improvement.
	Raimo Mustonen, Deputy Director PhD Raimo Mustonen is responsible for conduct of environmental surveillance, expert services, as well as emergency preparedness of the department. PhD in physics (University of Helsinki), wide experience in radiation protection, natural radiation, emergency preparedness, environmental radiation, quality management, project management, international research and co-operation projects. He has acted as a chairman of the working groups for Nuclear and Radiation Safety of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, a board member of the Nordic Nuclear Safety Research (NKS), an expert of IAEA, an evaluator for the European Commission, INTAS and NKS.

Accreditation and quality management

Accreditation of laboratory processes was awarded by FINAS (The Finnish Accreditation Service) in 1999 and was renewed in 2003 according to the European Standard EN ISO/IEC 17025 standard. The accreditation field is “Test of radiation safety and related environmental sampling” (Test laboratory T167).

STUK’s quality system is based on international quality standards ISO 9004: Quality management systems - Guidelines for performance improvements, and ISO/IEC 17025: General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. The principles of the total quality management, the EFQM Excellence Model, are also applied.