The IAEA has called for greater collaboration among international organizations and professional bodies to harmonize radiation protection and safety globally, at the 16th international congress of the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA16) that took place last week in Orlando, Florida, USA.
"Main challenges, faced especially by low- and middle-income countries, are related to implementation of the radiation protection standards," said Hildegarde Vandenhove, Director of the IAEA Division of Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety and IRPA panellist. "IRPA16 was an opportunity to exchange positive experiences and achieve greater consistency in application of the standards, while respecting national and geographical specificities."
Harmonization in radiation protection
Taking a notable role at the weeklong conference, attended by more than 1000 international radiation protection professionals from 67 countries, IAEA radiation protection and safety experts participated in several panel discussions, and delivered keynote speeches and presentations on radiation protection of the workers, patients, public and the environment.
"As the current worldwide system is extensively interconnected, it is important that the major messages on radiation safety from different organizations and professional bodies are harmonized," said Miroslav Pinak, Head of the IAEA Radiation Safety and Monitoring Section, in his keynote talk on IAEA Safety Standards.
Under the theme of Radiation Harmonization: Standing United for Protection, IAEA experts discussed a plethora of IAEA education and training courses, tools, databases and communities of practices designed to support countries in sharing knowledge, data and lessons learned to enhance radiation safety measures in alignment with international standards.
In particular, they highlighted the Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) module of the Information System on Occupational Exposure in Medicine, Industry and Research (ISEMIR), which allows industrial operators to exchange occupational exposure data, understand industry trends, establish benchmarks and measure compliance with international safety standards.
Participants also learned about the IAEA voluntary reporting system Safety in Radiation Oncology (SAFRON), used by professionals in radiotherapy and radionuclide therapy to learn from incidents at medical facilities and hospitals to improve radiation protection in healthcare.
Bernard Le Guen, Outgoing President of IRPA said: "A positive safety culture is essential to increase radiation protection in healthcare, as in all fields. This week marked the release of new, comprehensive guidance on 'Enhancing radiation safety culture in health care', a publication jointly developed by the IAEA, World Health Organization, International Organization for Medical Physics and International Radiation Protection Association, which provides a framework on how to strengthen and align safety culture in the international health sector."
Another key point of discussion was the potential implications of the new operational quantities, recommended for assessing external exposure to ionizing radiation, published in 2020 by the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) and the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). The IAEA encouraged stakeholders to document and discuss potential implications of the new quantities, to instil trust in the global radiation protection system.
Other topics discussed during the conferences included waste and transport safety.
More than 20 participants received IAEA financial support to attend the event, encouraging a broad exchange of knowledge and best practices in improving radiation protection globally. Participants from Madagascar, Malaysia, Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal and Tanzania were supported through extrabudgetary funds provided to the IAEA by the USA, and participants from Member States in the Africa and Latin American and Caribbean regions were supported through the IAEA's technical cooperation programme.
"We are all committed to ensuring the sustainability of the field. The IAEA helped address the gap by supporting the participation of young people from Member States and experts from several regions, and IRPA is working to attract young professionals and scientists in radiation protection," said IRPA President Christopher Clement.
