Care needed in using nuclear devices
Tuesday, 15 September 2009
A survey conducted by the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Control Division of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy commission (BAEC) some years ago found that most of the 38 industries that used radiological elements and equipment were rather careless about maintaining the mandatory safety and radiation protection protocols. It is not known whether the industries in question have rectified themselves by now. But given the fact that government departments and even autonomous organizations in the country are not exactly famous for enforcing rules and regulations and laws, it would be wise to monitor them more often, for lapses here may lead to very serious health hazards. Apart from directly observable physical injury, 'ionising' radiation can wreck life at the molecular level, leading to cancers, birth defects and other health problems.
Nuclear devices are used by foreign construction contractors in the gas and oil exploration sector, for irradiator and gas mantle production, for the measurement of moisture, laying gas pipe networks, installing chemical and power industries, building bridges and hundreds of other sectors. The said survey revealed that radiation safety measures were absent in almost 60 per cent cases of industrial radiography practices. Findings with regard to handling equipment and isotopes, monitoring radiation warning systems and the like were also not up to the mark. In some cases over 80 per cent of the workers handling nuclear equipment were found to be totally untrained. The survey did not seem to have anything to say regarding the utterly callous manner in which X-ray machines are installed and used throughout the country with no regulation whatsoever as to how much is zapped into people and the environment.
The use of nuclear elements and devices may not be very widespread yet, but the irresponsible manner in which they are generally handled should be of concern to decision makers in the sector. The case of a pipeline worker at the Bakhrabad Gas Systems Ltd, over two decades ago, illustrates how criminally negligent employers can be ----, in this case, an international construction company. The worker had been exposed to heavy radiation during his welding job in 1985. He had no idea his long bouts of sickness while on the job was due to severe radiation from the nuclear-tipped welding equipment. He worked without any protection and collapsed several times while at work. When environmental reporters brought his plight to public notice, his fingers had already started getting 'eaten up' by radiation and had to be amputated. The long-term effects of radioactive contamination were crippling, giving him recurring headaches and drying up his blood vessels, among other health problems. This is just one example of gross negligence and it is quite likely that the careless practices of the majority of the industrial enterprises in the country are leaving many seriously ill and impaired by ionizing radiation. The BAEC has the authority to regulate and control all nuclear practices in the country as per the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Control Act 1993 and the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Control Rules 1997. However, these legal instruments have been rather inadequate, calling for more effective means to protect people against radioactive hazards. The public must be made fully aware of the dangers that ionizing radiation can pose, even when taking a 'few X-rays', for there is no such thing as a 'safe' dose, even though it is sometimes necessary to diagnose or cure diseases. The wonders of nuclear medicine must not permit complacency and carelessness on the part of the physicians and technicians, or the patients themselves.
Nuclear devices are used by foreign construction contractors in the gas and oil exploration sector, for irradiator and gas mantle production, for the measurement of moisture, laying gas pipe networks, installing chemical and power industries, building bridges and hundreds of other sectors. The said survey revealed that radiation safety measures were absent in almost 60 per cent cases of industrial radiography practices. Findings with regard to handling equipment and isotopes, monitoring radiation warning systems and the like were also not up to the mark. In some cases over 80 per cent of the workers handling nuclear equipment were found to be totally untrained. The survey did not seem to have anything to say regarding the utterly callous manner in which X-ray machines are installed and used throughout the country with no regulation whatsoever as to how much is zapped into people and the environment.
The use of nuclear elements and devices may not be very widespread yet, but the irresponsible manner in which they are generally handled should be of concern to decision makers in the sector. The case of a pipeline worker at the Bakhrabad Gas Systems Ltd, over two decades ago, illustrates how criminally negligent employers can be ----, in this case, an international construction company. The worker had been exposed to heavy radiation during his welding job in 1985. He had no idea his long bouts of sickness while on the job was due to severe radiation from the nuclear-tipped welding equipment. He worked without any protection and collapsed several times while at work. When environmental reporters brought his plight to public notice, his fingers had already started getting 'eaten up' by radiation and had to be amputated. The long-term effects of radioactive contamination were crippling, giving him recurring headaches and drying up his blood vessels, among other health problems. This is just one example of gross negligence and it is quite likely that the careless practices of the majority of the industrial enterprises in the country are leaving many seriously ill and impaired by ionizing radiation. The BAEC has the authority to regulate and control all nuclear practices in the country as per the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Control Act 1993 and the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Control Rules 1997. However, these legal instruments have been rather inadequate, calling for more effective means to protect people against radioactive hazards. The public must be made fully aware of the dangers that ionizing radiation can pose, even when taking a 'few X-rays', for there is no such thing as a 'safe' dose, even though it is sometimes necessary to diagnose or cure diseases. The wonders of nuclear medicine must not permit complacency and carelessness on the part of the physicians and technicians, or the patients themselves.