Revision of IAEA International Basic Safety Standards (BSS) - draft (1.0)

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been playing a lead role in developing international Basic Safety Standards (BSS) for protection against ionizing radiation and for the safety of radiation sources. The BSS provide guidance for implementing and regulating the all applications involving radiation and radioisotopes, taking cognizance of the basic recommendations of the ICRP. A review of the BSS (SS-115, 1996) was carried out in 2007 in cooperation with the co-sponsors (FAO, ILO, NEA, PAHO and WHO). In a technical meeting involving more than 130 participants from Member States, international organizations and international professional societies, recommendations were made on the revision of the BSS, including that the revised edition should follow the 2007 recommendations of the ICRP (ICRP-103, 2007) to the extent possible.

The first draft 1.0 (DS379) – was thus prepared and is available for comments at the IAEA website. The draft consists of: Introduction, general requirements for protection and safety and requirements for the three exposure situations identified by the ICRP, viz., planned exposure situations, Emergency exposure situations and Existing exposure situations, four Schedules and list of References.

The document emphasizes the responsibilities of government: The government shall establish and maintain an appropriate and effective legal, regulatory and organizational framework for radiation protection and safety. It ensures that the prime responsibility for protection and safety rests with the person/organization responsible for facilities and activities that give rise to radiation risks. The government establishes and maintains a regulatory body with clearly defined functions and responsibilities for regulating radiation protection and safety. It also ensures that the scale of regulatory requirements applied to any exposure situation is commensurate with the associated radiation risks.

It is the government’s responsibility to ensure that the regulatory body is adequately funded and is effectively independent of persons and organizations using or otherwise promoting the use of radiation, so that it is independent of any undue pressure from interested parties and any conflict of interest.

(Some more highlights will be presented in the National Conference of IARP, Defence Labs, Jodpur, India during November 19-21, 2008).

IRPA News Extracts – IRPA 12

The primary objective of International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA) is to provide a medium whereby those engaged in radiation protection activities in all countries may communicate more readily with each other and through this process advance radiation protection in many parts of the world. This includes relevant aspects of such branches of knowledge as science, medicine, engineering, technology and law, to provide for the protection of man and his environment from the hazards caused by radiation, and thereby to facilitate the safe use of medical, scientific, and industrial radiological practices for the benefit of mankind. For many other related professions it is an excellent opportunity to communicate on the achievements, scientific knowledge and operational experience in radiation protection.

It is a major task for IRPA to provide for and support international meetings for the discussion of radiation protection. The International Congresses of IRPA itself are the most important of these meetings. These have been held about every four years since 1966. For all Associate Societies of IRPA and individual members, it is an important objective to attend the next International IRPA Congress (IRPA 12), to be held in Buenos-Aires, Argentina. Details can be found in www.irpa12.org.ar

IRPA 12 is only 2 months away, and it is shaping up to be an outstanding event! An IRPA Congress record of nearly 1500 abstracts, from more than 80 countries has been submitted!

During the Congress, the 2008 Rolf M. Sievert Award for outstanding contributions to radiation research and radiation protection will be presented to Prof. Christian Streffer of Germany. He is the 10th Sievert award winner, and joins a prestigious group of recipients. Christian Streffer is a leading expert on health effects by irradiation during all stages of pregnancy including the protection of the unborn child. Christian Streffer has been involved with the review of several UNSCEAR reports to the General Assembly of the United Nations. In 1993, Christian was appointed to ICRP Committee 1 (Radiation Effects) and served until 2001 when he was elected as a member of the ICRP Main Commission. Between 2001 and 2007 he chaired ICRP Committee 2 (Doses from radiation exposure).

IRPA 12 will be the most important event of the year for Radiation Protection Professionals!

IAEA Raises Awareness of Radiation Risks Among Heart Doctors

Patients are not the only ones at risk during cardiac procedures. Doctors performing heart surgery also face health risks, namely to their eyes. The issue of radiation protection for medical personnel is particularly acute in the case of lengthy angioplasty and other cardiac interventions performed under X-ray fluoroscopic guidance. The procedure can cause extensive radiation exposure to cardiologists that could lead to cataracts, alongside other longer term health risks. Fluoroscopy provides X-ray images of a patient that physicians can view on a display screen or monitor in real time. Proper use of tools for radiation protection - like protective screens or barriers - can prevent such radiation exposure problems.

The IAEA is helping the medical community to address this problem through a major international initiative aimed at training cardiologists and other medical professionals in radiation protection. This September in Latin America, the IAEA is organizing a study to test the eyes of interventional cardiologists participating in a regional medical conference. This will allow experts to assess retrospectively what radiation dose these cardiologists received, and then correlate the data with changes in their lens. Hopefully, this will help doctors to protect themselves better in the future and reduce further radiation in their eyes while maintaining the clinical load.

The Cardiology Conference is organized by the Latin American Society of Interventional Cardiologists (SOLACI) in Bogota, Colombia - (IAEA News).