BfS works for the safety and protection of man and the environment against damage due to ionising and non-ionising radiation. In the field of ionising radiation there are, e. g. safety in the handling of radioactive substances in nuclear technology and the protection against enhanced natural radioactivity. Here, the BfS also collects measurement results, e.g. for food, and informs the population. The work in the field of non-ionising radiation includes the protection against ultraviolet radiation as well as public information about the subject. The BfS also focuses on radiation in medicine e.g. x-rays and the effects of mobile communication.

The BfS covers natural and artificial radionuclides occurring in drinking water, mineral water and groundwater and in other environmental areas (such as agricultural products). It has conducted nationwide studies, particularly on the levels of natural radionuclides in drinking water and mineral water, in order to incorporate the knowledge gained from these studies into policy advice (Drinking Water Ordinance, emergency planning, hazard analyses) and work in international bodies (WHO, IAEA). The data on drinking water and groundwater as well as on the other environmental areas are collected and checked by the Integrated Measurement and Information System (IMIS) operated by the BfS and can be viewed publicly at https://www.imis.bfs.de/geoportal/ or at https://www.geoportal.de/map.html.

A classification of the drinking water and groundwater data and the data from the other environmental areas by the BfS is additionally made in the annual report on environmental radioactivity and radiation exposure published by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. The BfS also collects data on radioactive substances in food as part of its environmental monitoring, for example on radioactive contamination of wild mushrooms, and publishes studies on this. It also deals with game meat in connection with radioactivity.