---
title: "James Cairns - Workshop Leader: Dealing with the asymmetric"
description: "CBRNe World provides those tasked with defending against CBRN and IED threats with the essential practical, scientific and political information. Access the current and previous issues of the magazine by registering as a member."
url: "https://cbrneworld.com/events/cbrne-convergence-canada-2026/speakers-canada-26/james-cairns"
date: "2026-07-30T21:14:18+00:00"
language: "en-GB"
---

##  James Cairns - Workshop Leader: Dealing with the asymmetric

###### 07 July 2025 | [Charleston25](https://cbrneworld.com/index.php?option=com_tags&view=tag&id%5B0%5D=92:charleston25)

James is a highly experienced radiation protection professional with over 35 years’ experience of advising and working with radioactive and nuclear materials. He was appointed as the UK Police Services Radiation Protection Adviser at the time when the term CBRNe was first coming into use. As part of that work, he supported UK emergency responders in developing RN protocols and procedures, selecting instruments and developing operational SOP’s. He was also instrumental in working with Crime Scene Investigators to enable evidence recovery and processing to maximise evidential value from radiologically contaminated scenes. He has presented at government level in France, Germany, Canada and with UN agencies on radiological detection and forensic activities and worked with industry to make monitoring instruments easier to use for emergency responders.

James left the CBRNe world in 2011 to join Aurora Health Physics where he advises a range of both UK and overseas clients on how to use radioactive substances safely, work with radiation and in compliance with international guidance and legislation.

 ![James Cairns - Workshop Leader: Dealing with the asymmetric](https://cbrneworld.com/component/ajax/?p=image&src=%7B%22file%22%3A%22images%2Fevents%2Fspeaker-images%2FCairns.jpg%22%2C%22thumbnail%22%3A%22%2C%2C%22%7D&hash=ff931197)

 <a class="el-title uk-accordion-title" href="/">Not my cup of tea - A radiological insight into the Litvinenko murder investigation - James Cairns</a>3824

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