During April 24-28, 2017, RSRP provided technical support to IAEA Project INT9182 9015, Sustaining Cradle-to-Grave Control of Radioactive Sources. Support was provided to a Work Group that consisted of three experts from Member States (Brazil, Montenegro, and Tanzania) plus three international experts (South Africa and the U.S.) in the continued development of a decision-aiding document on end-of-life management options for disused sealed radioactive sources (DSRS). The Work Group’s report includes guidance for cost-estimating techniques for DSRS end-of-life management, case studies for...
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From April 25-27, RSRP visited the Agency for Nuclear and Radiation Safety of Georgia to discuss the status of ongoing technical work performed under RSRP program.Current support is focused on the update of the legal bases in radiation safety and security, and specifically on the development of the regulation for emergency preparedness and response and on the physical security of materials facilities. The Action Plan for the years 2017/2018 was discussed and will be negotiated and finalized in May, 2015. The meeting was attended by the head of the ANRS, Mr. Vasil Gedevanishvili, his deputy...
From March 21 to 23, 2017, Paulo Ferruz and John Kinneman of AdSTM, Inc conducted a program assessment at the Under Secretary for Control of Nuclear Applications in the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Republic of Ecuador. The assessment included meetings with the Under Secretary, the Director of Nuclear Applications and Technical Cooperation, the Director of Licensing and Radiological Protection and various technical specialists. The Under Secretary and his Directors are responsible for the licensing and radiation safety inspection of sources of ionizing radiation within...
RSRP visited the National Radiation Safety Agency (NRSA) of the Republic of Tajikistan in Dushanbe from March 26-29, 2017. In collaboration with NRSA, the objective of the visit was to develop the RSRP Action Plan for 2017-2018. Current issues include the update of the legal basis in radiation safety, the adaptation of NRSA structure to current challenges, and the decision to establish a regional NRSA office in the northern region of the country to increase inspection quality and reduce the number of long distance travel for NRSA staff.
The meeting discussed support provided by US...
From March 27-31, 2017, Rick Muñoz of AdSTM participated in a RSRP mission to Paraguay’s Radiological and Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ARRN) in Asuncion to provide technical support for the evaluation and operation of a Siemens Eclipse™ Cyclotron and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) pharmaceuticals. The 11 MeV self-shielded cyclotron is used to produce fluorine-18 (F-18) dedicated to FDG production for PET imaging studies. This is the first, and the only cyclotron authorized in Paraguay. The AdSTM expert provided technical training on licensing and inspection of self-shielded type...
From March 19th-21st, 2017 the RSRP program represented by AdSTM, held a meeting with the Atomic Energy Council (AEC) of Uganda to follow up on the ongoing sources and generators inventory project and discuss new opportunities to support AEC in its responsibility of regulating the use of ionizing radiation sources. The AEC is working to complete most of the country sources and generators ARIS database during the current year 2017. This will allow Uganda to comply with one of the main elements of the IAEA Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Sources and enhance the regulatory...
The Radiation Protection Authority (RPA) of Zambia received a visit of an AdSTM representative (March 23rd-24th, 2017) to discuss the status of the sources and generators inventory project. This project started in 2016 and the RPA has already completed approximately 50% of the country database. This information is stored in the ARIS software which according to the RPA, has been very helpful especially for reporting to management. The inspection program is also being improved using ARIS. Zambian RPA has also requested support for the challenge of updating the staff capabilities to face the...
From March 6 to 9, 2017, Rick Muñoz of AdSTM participated in a RSRP Mission to the Dominican Republic’s Commission on Nuclear Energy (CNE), to provide technical support for the evaluation of the operational license application of an IBA Cyclone Platform-18, 18 MeV unshielded cyclotron dedicated to FDG production for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) studies. Being the first unshielded cyclotron in the country, the regulatory authority needed assistance on licensing the construction and operation of this type of technology. The AdSTM representative provided training on licensing and...
From March 6-10, 2017, RSRP conducted a one-week workshop on Design and Shielding Calculation in Medical Radiological Facilities. This is part of RSRP's ongoing effort to provide in-country support to strengthen Radiation Protection and Safety. During the workshop, several medical imaging and therapeutic modalities were discussed in detail for purposes of shielding calculation and design optimization, with special focus on Cobalt Radiotherapy units. The reference documents for the workshop were NCRP145, NCRP147 and NCRP151. Software and other computer tools were provided to the participants...
From February 20-24, 2017, RSRP conducted a four-day consultation meeting in Panama. The goal was to discuss all the aspects that should be involved in developing a specific regulation for the practice of Industrial Radiography. Discussions included US requirements to license this practice, inspection methods, and radiological incidents with this type of practice. While an actual inspection was conducted by the Panamanian Regulatory Authority, an AdSTM expert provided comments and recommendations to improve it. This activity supports the plans to develop the regulation for Industrial...