Health Canada's Canadian Radiological Monitoring Network provides historical thermoluminescent dosimetry (TLD) results from monitoring stations across Canada. The dataset contains corrected and uncorrected values for environmental radiation levels measured prior to 2015, expressed in units of air kerma (J/kg). It includes data from both monitoring and transit dosimeters, with an estimated dosimeter accuracy of ±15%.
Use Cases
- Analyzing historical trends in natural background radiation based on multi-year monitoring station data.
- Comparing corrected and uncorrected dosimetry values to assess procedural impacts on data quality.
- Evaluating the impact of specific events, such as the Fukushima-Daiichi accident, on local radiation levels mentioned in the description.
- Studying spatial variations in environmental radiation across Canada using data from multiple stations.
Strengths
- Data includes corrected values addressing a historical procedural error that caused underreporting by 34%.
- Contains results from both monitoring and transit thermoluminescent dosimeters, allowing for shipment-related dose assessment.
- Dosimeter accuracy is quantified at ±15%.
- Provides data in both legacy and SI units, aligning with current best practices.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- The dataset covers historical data prior to 2015; current data is hosted separately.
Provenance
- Source
- Health Canada | Santé Canada
- Collection Method
- Data collected by thermoluminescent dosimeters deployed at monitoring stations across Canada.
- Time Range
- Historical data prior to 2015.
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-04-20 18:42:45.394458; freshness should be verified.
- Geography
- Monitoring stations across Canada.