Radioactivity is a specialty for Pipas. Use of radioactive substances and knowledge of their behavior in different environments (speciation), measurement and shielding of radioactivity are part of the business area.
A course is required for the use of radioactivity. Pipas runs approved courses for use in the oil industry, in collaboration with the Section for Chemical Environmental Science, University of Oslo.
In 1896, Henri Becquerel discovered radioactivity – a discovery that would prove to be
have the greatest importance for our understanding of how nature is structured. In 1986
the Norwegian people became familiar with Becquerel’s name through the unit becquerel, Bq, after the Chernobyl disaster. Even if one knows the unit of measurement, it is doubtful about it ordinary Norwegians have an understanding of what radioactivity is and how it affects us. Thirty-five years after Chernobyl, nuclear power is again relevant as an alternative to CO2-emitting fossil thermal power plants. However, one can still come across positions that “Radioactivity is dangerous! Fukushima and Chernobyl have shown that”. This perception is not really unreasonable since the occurrence, effect and detection of radioactive radiation is actually a complicated subject where several disciplines are involved, i.a. nuclear physics, chemistry, biophysics and biology. Pipas can provide background information and understanding regarding Radioactivity and contribute to fewer misunderstandings, if needed.