Health and environment

Service provision

VSL provides consultancy and research activities to organizations, institutes and companies in the area of health & environment with respect to issues related to measuring volatile organic and inorganic components, particulate matter and ionizing radiation. This can be done for higher concentrations of these substances (emissions), lower concentrations (immissions, exposure) and even very low concentrations, such as measuring background levels for the WMO (World Meteorological Organization). As a result, our customers are capable of carrying out SI traceable measurements. This applies also to the individual exposure of employees to chemical compounds, to the irradiation of patients within the framework of therapy or to smog levels in industrial areas (ports, provincial or national).

Working method

At VSL, contract research and consultancy start with a structured approach. The first step is to explore the issue. What is the starting point, what is the desired outcome and how can we get there? An exploratory meeting with one of the experts of Customized Applied Metrology can provide clarity.

Customers

VSL serves customers throughout the world. The focus area is energy in all of its aspects, both in and outside of the Oil & Gas world. Consider for instance capacity measurements in electricity networks, calorific value determination, gas composition, radiation levels (radioactive sources), liquid in natural gas, flow measurements of liquid or gas in nanoliters/ minute to (hundred) thousands of cubic meters per hours, pressure, efficacy, temperature (contact and non-contact such as pyrometry or DTS). Because of the knowledge in energy matters and applications, we also have reached an extensive experience in the environmental and health aspects related to the generation, transport and use of energy. An interesting aspect is our cooperation with the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu (RIVM)). VSL performs audits to the measurement facilities of RIVM to verify the quality and comparability to international measurement standards. In the coming years, VSL will perform those checks regularly. A start has already been made with audits for the measurements of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides.

Courses

Annually, VSL produces more than 15 peer reviewed papers in the area of applied metrology, and many other publications. Much of the knowledge in these publications is included in the course material. The courses are given at VSL or on site.