STATUS AND TRENDS OF THE MANAGEMENT OF DISUSED SEALED RADIOACTIVE SOURCES

Sealed radioactive sources have been used widely in health, industry, agriculture and geological exploration over the last six decades. The large number of the sealed sources, many of them of high activity, generates certain risk for the users and the public. The risk depends on whether the source is in operation or disused and also different country by country where the source is operating or stored. For a long time the control of the sealed sources was not and in many cases still not well established in many countries although almost all the countries of the world have established their own regulatory organizations. In many countries the managing of sealed radioactive sources is far from the necessary level due to the lack of funds, professional expertise or existence of technical and logistical requirements. The history of the accidents caused by sealed radioactive sources in the last decades shows that on the average 30 incidents and 2-3 accidents happen and 1-3 people die per year where radioactive sources were involved. In many cases serious radiation injuries occur as well. It can be said that the sealed sources cause the majority of human death in the nuclear industry. Due to the complete lack of control or the non-perfect control in the sixties and the seventies many disused sealed sources slipped out of control and were lost. The accidents and the human death/injury incidents that occurred warned the international professional community dealing with radioactive sources that immediate actions were needed. Several countries and the IAEA recognized this need and reasonable developments were performed. IAEA has strengthened the work on the SRS management giving direct assistance for member and non –member states and providing training for the persons involved in the management of disused sealed radioactive sources. The IAEA’s activity to drive the development of new technologies and to propose these technologies for the safe management of disused sealed radioactive sources–especially in developing countries- is an important tool to minimize the risk generated by disused sources.