The International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES): 20 Years of Nuclear Communication

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES). The scale has sound technical background.

Jointly developed by the IAEA and the NEA in 1990, in the aftermath of the Chernobyl accident, the INES is to help nuclear and radiation safety authorities and the nuclear industry worldwide to rate nuclear and radiological events and to communicate their safety significance to the general public, the media and the technical community. The INES was initially used to classify events at nuclear power plants only. It was subsequently extended to rate events occurring in any nuclear facility and during the transport and storage of radioactive material and covers events related to the overexposure of workers.

Since its inception, it has been adopted in 69 countries, and an increasing number of countries have expressed their interest in using INES. Over the years, national nuclear safety authorities have made growing use of INES, while the public and the media have become more familiar with the scale and its significance.

Irradiation to Ensure the Safety and Quality of Prepared Meals

This publication (STI/PUB/1365, 375 pp. Date of Issue: 8 April 2009) presents the results of an FAO/IAEA coordinated research project (CRP) on the use of irradiation to ensure the safety and quality of pre-prepared foods. There is an increasing worldwide demand for pre-prepared and take-away meals. However, the traditional methods of preparing convenience foods via retort-processing and freezing are being replaced in favour of chilled foods, due mainly to their fresher and often more appealing appearance. Chilled prepared foods, however, are non-sterile and their heightened potential for microbiological contamination creates a considerable limitation to their shelf-life. The findings of this CRP demonstrate that radiation processing of pre-prepared meals results in a safer product by eliminating existing pathogens, and thereby reducing health risks while extending the foods’ commercial shelf-life.

This publication presents the findings of the CRP and offers a discussion of the possible further utilization and marketing of this new application of irradiation technology (IAEA News)

FDA Unveils Initiative to Reduce Unnecessary Radiation Exposure from Medical Imaging

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced an initiative to reduce unnecessary radiation exposure from three types of medical imaging procedures: computed tomography (CT), nuclear medicine studies, and fluoroscopy. These procedures are the greatest contributors to total radiation exposure within the U.S. population and use much higher radiation doses than other radiographic procedures, such as standard X-rays, dental X-rays, and mammography.

These types of imaging exams expose patients to ionizing radiation, a type of radiation that can increase a person’s lifetime cancer risk. Accidental exposure to very high amounts of radiation also can cause injuries, such as skin burns, hair loss and cataracts. Health care decisions made by patients and their physicians should include discussions of the medical need and associated risks for each procedure.

While there is some disagreement over the extent of the cancer risk associated with exposure to radiation from medical imaging, there is broad agreement that steps can and should be taken to reduce unnecessary radiation exposure. For example, the radiation dose associated with a CT abdomen scan is the same as the dose from approximately 400 chest X-rays. In comparison, a dental X-ray calls for approximately one-half the radiation dose of a chest X-ray. Both diagnostics serve important, sometimes critical, public health needs.

Through the FDA’s regulatory oversight of medical imaging devices, such as CT scanners, and through collaboration with other federal agencies and health care professional groups, the FDA is advocating the adoption of two principles of radiation protection: appropriate justification of the radiation procedure and optimization of the radiation dose used during each procedure. The three-pronged initiative the FDA is announcing is expected to promote the safe use of medical imaging devices, support informed clinical decision-making, and increase patient awareness of their own exposure.

The FDA recommends that health care professional organizations continue to develop, in collaboration with the agency, diagnostic radiation reference levels for medical imaging procedures, and increase efforts to develop one or more national registries for radiation doses. Quality assurance practices into the mandatory accreditation and conditions of participation survey processes for imaging facilities and hospitals. In a bid to empower patients and increase awareness, the FDA is collaborating with other organizations to develop and disseminate a patient medical imaging history card. This tool, which will be available on the FDA’s Web site, will allow patients to track their own medical imaging history and share it with their physicians, especially when it may not be included in their medical records (FDA NEWS RELEASE).

Training requirements in radiological and nuclear safety

Education and training are indispensable to the development of human resources in industries around the world. Nuclear industries promote the safe use of nuclear technologies for peaceful applications in various fields, in medicine, industry and agriculture. Medical applications and radiation processing of products (food stuff, medical supplies, synthetic and rubber items, cables, etc) have seen tremendous growth. This is in addition to the on-going growth, world wide, in nuclear power generation. Different categories of man power, such as scientists, engineers, biologists, technical, semi-technical and labor are required for the safe operations of the facilities and the activities. Unlike other industries, due to the radioactive nature of the activities, there is potential for radiation exposures, which can be harmful if not controlled.

Thus, for the safe conduct of these applications, the man power required should be suitably educated and trained in the fields of nuclear and radiological safety. This is the mandatory requirement as per the regulations covering all the activities involving radiation and radioisotopes. The fields of nuclear and radiation safety are multi-disciplinary in nature, comprising of inter-related parts of nuclear physics, chemistry, biology, statistics and other specialized areas.

To meet these requirements, there is tremendous scope for private agencies, universities and scientific associations to develop nuclear industry-specific human resources which are trained / educated in nuclear and radiation safety. The national regulators should take proactive steps in this direction.

Preventing Accidental Exposures from New External Beam Radiation Therapy Technologies

ICRP Publication 112; Ann. ICRP 39 (4), 2009

Disseminating the knowledge and lessons learned from accidental exposures is crucial in preventing re-occurrence. This is particularly important in radiation therapy; the only application of radiation in which very high radiation doses are deliberately given to patients to achieve cure or palliation of disease. This ICRP report is expected to be a valuable resource for radiation oncologists, hospital administrators, medical physicists, technologists, dosimetrists, maintenance engineers, radiation safety specialists, and regulators. While the report applies specifically to new external beam therapies, the general principles for prevention are applicable to the broad range of radiotherapy practices where mistakes could result in serious consequences for the patient and practitioner (ICRP News)