A VIRTUAL ceremony took place to mark the official handing over of radiation detection instruments by the Miroslav Pinak Acting Director, Division of radiation transport and waste safety from the International Atomic Energy Agency and received by Ambassador Collin Beck PS MFAET on behalf of SIG took place on Thursday on 31st March 2022.
Mr. Pinak in his remarks expressed that he is pleased on behalf of the Agency to assist the Solomon Islands. He mentioned that it is the Agency’s statute and moral obligation to support the Solomon Islands.
In his response Ambassador Collin Beck Permanent Secretary to MFAET acknowledges and expressed deep gratitude to the IAEA on behalf of the government, in responding proactively to Solomon Islands urgent request.
It is understood that the donation by IAEA was in response to Solomon Islands’ request after two missing radioactive Cs-137 density gauges at Gold Ridge Mines were discovered by the investigative team led by the Radiology team. The radiation instruments are in the form of one Radionuclide Identification Device and four (4) Personal Radiation Detector Polimaster.
Currently, the country is without a national framework that guides the arrangements and usage of radioactive materials despite the consensus that radiation sealed sources and x-ray emitting apparatus are already used in the Solomon Islands.
Actors that use and utilize equipment that emits radiation include hospitals in medicine and treatments, the agriculture industry, the manufacturing industry, and the mining industry.
After the official handing over was three hours of technical training with the identified relevant stakeholders that utilize equipment that emit radiation.
Solomon Islands is currently not a member of the IAEA however is a state party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) since June 1981 and to the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty (Rarotonga Treaty) since January 1989.
SOURCE: GCU PRESS
Feature Photo Caption : Collin Beck
