VietNamNet Bridge - Only after a series of radioactive source losses were reported recently have people realized that Vietnam radioactive sources are not under strict control as required.



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Dr. Nguyen Nhi Dien, head of the Da Lat Nuclear Research Institute


The authorities of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province on April 6 directed relevant agencies to search for a missing radioactive device “urgently, and at any cost”.

The instruction was released after Pomina 3 Steel Factory in Tan Thanh district reported the loss of a radioactive device used to measure the level of liquid steel on steel billet production lines.

Local newspapers reported that the device was found missing in mid-March, during the transfer of assets due to changes in personnel. However, the loss was only reported to the local authorities in early April.

The search for Co-60 radioactive source was not successful until April 8 afternoon, though the police, science & technology department and the Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety (VARANS) decided to expand the search scope to neighboring provinces of Dong Nai, Binh Duong and HCM City.

Dr. Nguyen Nhi Dien, head of the Da Lat Nuclear Research Institute, emphasized that though the radioactivity is contained in box, Co-60 with gamma ray still can penetrate the environment. 

This means that those people standing within 2 meters from the radioactive source will be at risk. Those who stand 10 cm far from the source for one hour will be affected by radioactivity with the dose higher by 2.6 times than the permitted level - 1mSv per annum.

More dangerously, Dien said, the material containing Co-60 is just a small piece of steel, which means that the radioactive source may be unrecognizable even to specialists without radiation detectors.

If the box containing radioactivity is opened, the destruction will be exceedingly dangerous. Since the radioactivity can be spread out in the environment, the radiation intensity will be very strong.

Those who get affected with Co-60 may suffer from skill ulcer, cancer, genetic modification or die, depending on the radiation activity.

Vuong Huu Tan, head of VARANS, said in principle, the devices containing radioactive substance must be examined periodically every year. However, due to the lack of personnel, the examination can be conducted only once every three years. 

Tan said his agency has proposed to amend the current laws to strengthen control over high-activity radioactive substances.

He said mobile radioactive sources must be installed with the positioning device GPS, and the installation must be fulfilled within six months. New radioactive sources must be stuck with GPS before they are put into use.

Meanwhile, HCM City’s Vice Mayor Le Manh Ha has requested to stick GPS to both mobile and immobile radioactive sources.

TBKTSG