Equivalence in radionuclide metrology.

The harmonization of different National Measurement Systems depends on the ability to demonstrate Equivalence between them. The responsibility for establishing a procedure to achieve this lies with the International Committee of Weights and Measures (CIPM) and its associated Consultative Committees. In pursuit of these ends, a series of general recommendations and procedures have been developed by BIPM in order to achieve these objectives. Central to these recommendations is the concept of Key Comparisons which involve a series of comparison exercises both within and between the regional metrology organizations, such as EUROMET, NORAMET and APMP. Because of the unique nature of radioactivity standardization, this generalized procedure is, for practical purposes, impossible to apply in the field of radionuclide metrology. The remedy has been the development of a protocol which optimizes both the current effort available within existing National Metrology Institutes (NMIs) and the considerable amount of data from previous intercomparisons. This paper details this novel approach, provides practical examples, discusses potential problems and examines the way in which the programme will continue and expand.