On July 27-28, 2023, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) Radiation Sources Regulatory Partnership (RSRP) held a meeting with the Paraguay Radiation Protection National Regulatory Authority (ARRN). The meeting was held in Asuncion, Paraguay and was conducted by Catherine Iwanowski of the NRC’s Office of International Programs, and Mario Rodriguez and Mark Shaffer from NRC’s contractor, Advanced Systems Technology and Management, Inc. (AdSTM). The meeting consisted of bilateral discussions with ARRN managers and staff as well as an ARRN Board Member from the Ministry of Defense.
The discussions included several topics related to Paraguay’s regulatory infrastructure for authorization, inspection and enforcement for the safety and security of radiation sources in Paraguay. The participants discussed potential assistance that could be offered to ARRN, including work on the national inventory of sources of ionizing radiation, the review of selected draft regulations and training related to licensing and Inspection of nuclear medicine facilities.