More Ugandans exposed to radiation, say experts

More Ugandans are being exposed to toxic artificial radiation due to gaps in the country’s education systems and lack of professionals to run systems that emit radiation, the Atomic Energy Council has said.
 The Council is the government’s authority responsible for monitoring and enforcing worker and radiation source safety, as well as safeguarding patients, the people and the environment from the hazards of ionizing radiation and radioactive waste. 

 Ms Lynn Ninsiima, a senior radiation protection officer at the Council, said the mismatch in the country’s education system and lack of public knowledge on the severe impact of exposure to ionizing radiation, is exposing more Ugandans to radiation.
She added that most people, including the operators of facilities running applications that emit radiation, are ignorant of the dangers of ionizing radiation. 

Ms Ninsiima said the formal education system in Uganda has failed to adequately address radiation protection, safety and nuclear security.
 “We have only a few people who have qualified to operate the machines emitting radiation. Institutes are offering medical radiography and biomedical engineering but still more needs to be added to their courses to help these professionals appreciate nuclear energy and radiation safety,” she said last week. 

 “When assessing medical facilities intending to run the radiography machines, before we grant permission, we ask them to submit the academic papers of those intending to operate them, certificates, and transcripts. But when we examine the modules and course units, radiation protection, safety and nuclear security and safeguards component are questionable,” she added.

 Ms Ninsiima said the lack of knowledge and mismatch span right from primary education level to universities.
 “The learning institutions lack this knowledge. For those that have it, it is not as detailed as we would recommend. We have schools that offer certificates, diplomas and bachelors but we still feel the radiation, safety and nuclear energy is insufficient,” she added. 
 She further said the Council is currently working with the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) to revise the protocol.

 “Working with NCHE will help us to address those shortfalls by including such components fully into the curriculum. We have signed memorandum of understanding with a few universities such as Muni University. We are still working out a way of getting others on board to see if they can integrate key components of radiation safety into those courses,” she said. 
 She pointed out that the country consumes artificial radiation through industrial and medical undertakings, material testing, sterilisation, and cancer treatment, among others, with threats including cancer, genetic damage, and occupational exposure, among others significantly on the increase.

 The government is also developing a national policy for the management of naturally occurring radioactive elements in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency, according to the Council.  
Further information from the Council indicates that Uganda currently has 554 health facilities with active radiation sources, 729 radiation generators, and 224 radioactive sources. 

The Council has conducted 2,467 inspections, translating to 92.6 per cent. Whereas it has issued 2,220 authorisations, 496 enforcement actions including closures and suspension have been conducted by the Council.
 Mr Noah Deogratius Luwalira, the chief executive officer of the Atomic Energy Council, said several health facilities have been closed due to non-compliance that exposed patients and the general population to dangerous radiation.

 “We have enforced strict measures on non-compliant facilities. We close the unit operating the equipment if it is not meeting the requirements and once the non-compliance is too risky to operate, we close it until they fix it,” Mr Luwalira said.

He added: “With the CT scans we have in the county, we have authorised all those which are in our knowledge and before we issue a licence to a facility to operate one, we carry out a critical analysis of the place and the quality of staff, among others. This is to ensure that the facility where they are going to use it meets the minimum quality requirements to operate it.”