Regulation of screenings that cause radiation exposure

A safety licence is required for the use of radiation in screening. Screenings according to a national screening programme are deemed justified.

The MSAH Decree on the medical use of radiation (423/2000) and the Government Decree on screenings (339/2011) specify regulations concerning screenings that cause exposure to ionizing radiation. STUK regulates the use of radiation in screenings.

For any screenings that cause radiation exposure outside the national screening programme, the organizer of the screenings must obtain a statement from STUK concerning the use of radiation. If the organizer estimates that the screening is justified, it must submit to the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) for approval an assessment of the screening that causes radiation exposure before starting the screening. Within three months, THL will issue a statement on whether the benefit to public health from the screening outweighs the total adverse effects that the screening causes.

THL and the Finnish Cancer Registry have issued guidelines on submitting screening data into the Mass Screening Registry, which functions in connection with the Finnish Cancer Registry.