11 Countries discuss safety against radioactive material

2/11/2010

MANAGERS, operators and regulators of waste facilities from 11 African countries are attending a regional conference in Accra on how to protect patients undergoing radiological examinations from getting any side effects in their respective countries.
The conference is also focused on ensuring the safety of radioactive waste in order to protect those working with radiation sources, as well as members of the public, from any side effects.
The participating countries are Ghana, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Botswana, Seychelles, Algeria, Chad, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique and The Sudan.
The five-day conference on: “General safety provisions for predisposal management, clearance regime and control of radioactive discharges”, taking place at the Graduate School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences, is being jointly organised by the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
In a speech read on his behalf, the Director-General of the GAEC, Prof. E. H. K. Akaho, said the conference sought to obtain information on regulatory aspects to impart knowledge on best practices, technologies and solutions for design, safety assessment, construction, licensing and operation of waste facilities.
“This training will provide background information on safety standards and regulatory control process and discuss issues on the control of exposure for workers and the general public,” he said.
Prof. Akaho noted that radiologists and radiology technicians, research scientists, food processors and manufacturers worked with man-made sources of radiation or radiation emitting devices such as x-ray generators.
Dr Anthony D. Wrixon, one of the course lecturers from IAEA, indicated that effective regulatory control over radiation sources had become “eminently clear” over the last 15 years.
“Without such control, safety and security will be compromised,” he said, adding that the IAEA had been assisting countries in implementing the safety standards through reviews and training courses.
The Deputy Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mr Daniels S. Amlalo, noted that the public was apprehensive whenever terms associated with radiation or atomic energy were mentioned.
He, therefore, urged the GAEC to allay the fears of the public through awareness programmes on measures being taken by the government and the various regulators to ensure public safety.
The Director of the Graduate School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences, Prof. J. H. Amuasi, who chaired the function, said participants would be equipped to organise and implement programmes on safety aspects of predisposal management and control of radioactive discharges to the benefit of their various countries.