Sidse Lærke Lolk, Marie Lund Traulsen, Frederik Storm Mahler, and Claus Højgård Nielsen are the names of the four new health physicists who are now commencing their work as qualified health physicists at Danish Decommissioning.

Protectingpeople from radiation in their work environment a key part of a health physicist's job, but so is being able to advise, communicate, and teach. At Danish Decommissioning , health physicists Danish Decommissioning an indispensable part of the workforce, as working with radioactive waste requires expertise in the field.

Therefore, we are pleased and proud to have trained four new health physicists, all of whom will undertake critical tasks at Danish Decommissioning, focusing on radiation protection and work within this specialized field.

The Role of a Health Physicist
Broadly speaking, the function of a health physicist is defined by contributing to the radiation protection of humans and the environment. This implies that all tasks performed by health physicists are related to this radiation protection.

At Danish Decommissioning, health physicists are therefore central to the assessment and consultation for decommissioning projects and the associated work.

Furthermore, health physicists are engaged in conducting release measurements of relevant material from the Decommissioning of Risø, which can be released for conventional waste treatment, provided that no radioactivity exceeding the established limit values is detected in the material.

Concurrently, health physicists are responsible for internal training in radiation protection and the handling of radioactive materials at Danish Decommissioning, and they also provide external instruction and consultation.

A final critical task for the newly qualified health physicists is their inclusion in Danish Decommissioning's on-call rotation, where they alternately serve on call in the event of unforeseen incidents.

It should be noted that a health assistant is present at Danish Decommissioning 24 hours a day, every day of the year, handling the vast majority of unforeseen incidents, in addition to routine tasks.

Why a Health Physicist?
Sidse Lærke Lolk is one of Danish Decommissioning's new health physicists, and for her, there was little doubt when she saw the job advertisement after completing her master's degree in physics.

“Radiation is fascinating. I find it extremely exciting to work on transforming this relatively abstract concept, which radiation is for many, into something concrete. Connecting my knowledge of radiation and radioactivity to specific decommissioning and operational tasks, and understanding how to protect against radiation, is one of the aspects that interests me.”

Another new health physicist at Danish Decommissioning is Marie Lund Traulsen, a trained chemical engineer with a background in research. For her, the desire to engage with a new, exciting field drove her towards the health physicist training.

“I find it exciting to delve into theory and apply it to find solutions for real-world problems. Concurrently, I am highly motivated to learn new things and enhance my skills, and here I saw an exciting subject area that I am truly eager to master.”

Frederik Storm Mahler, the third addition to the quartet of new health physicists, is, like his fellow students and now colleagues in the radiation protection unit, also drawn to what he terms “applied interdisciplinarity.”

“Health physics combines my interests in physics and health, and for me, it was the interest in these two fields that led me to apply for the position and complete the training. I find it particularly exciting that at DD, we will work interdisciplinarily and combine our expertise as health physicists with the projects and the Decommissioning of the historical buildings.”

Claus Højgård Nielsen also explains that the profession of a health physicist appealed to his interests, particularly his long-standing fascination with radioactivity.

“I find it a fascinating field, and ever since primary school, I have had a great interest in radioactivity. I recall the sources we were allowed to examine in school, and even then, I found it to be an exciting area. As an adult, the work of a health physicist combines my interests in physics, chemistry, and engineering, and it is one of the few fields where all three of these elements converge and are applied simultaneously.”

Already Well Underway
The four health physicists are all well underway with their new daily routines at Danish Decommissioning as full members of the radiation protection unit, and thus contribute daily to the work of storing and managing all of Denmark's radioactive waste.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]