SAFETY AND SECURITY OF RADIOACTIVE SOURCES

摘要

In conclusion, I encourage you to do whatever you can to convince the DOE to fully fund and expand the OSRP. This is a proper and much needed role for the federal government. The Bureau's radium disposal project proved the value of such a program. I also encourage you to move ahead and look for ways to incorporate the justification principle into your licensing programs. Remember: Except for those made using radioisotopes having short half-lives, radioactive sources eventually become disused sources requiring a disposal management program. Limiting the use of radioactive sources to practices that are justified will limit the number of radioactive sources that may be at risk for loss, theft or use in terrorism. When one looks back at past accomplishments of the Bureau of Radiological Health, it becomes apparent that the Bureau's work continues to serve as a relevant model to follow to address today's problems. The Bureau's program to improve radium control was remarkably farsighted. It incorporated critical concepts - considering alternatives and providing for waste disposal - that are today incorporated into international standards and recommended by scientific experts. Many of today's problems with safety and security of radioactive sources were recognized by the Bureau in its radium program. Many of the answers can be found there as well. It is time to "return to the future." If the Bureau of Radiological Health's work in the past remains relevant today, then that is an enduring legacy of the people who led the Bureau. John Villforth is one of those leaders. I am proud to know him and humbled by the honor of being part of the lecture series named after him. In naming the lecture series after John, you chose to remember the man. It is now time to remember what his accomplishments taught us and to apply those lessons to today's problems.