EFFORTS TO SAFELY MANAGE AND SECURE DISUSED RADIOACTIVE SOURCES IN AFRICA — AN AFRA INITIATIVE

摘要

The paper aims to evaluate the efforts on the part of the African Regional CooperativernAgreement for Research, Development and Training related to Nuclear Sciencernand Technology (AFRA), as supported by the IAEA, to ensure that sealed radioactivernsources on the African continent are safely and securely managed. Significant progressrnhas been made in three areas: (1) the completion of successful radium conditioningrnmissions to some countries in Africa, (2) the development of the Borehole DisposalrnConcept, and (3) the development of mobile units for the conditioning of spent highrnactivity sealed sources and neutron sources in Africa. The work done so far by the FirstrnAfrica Workshop on the Establishment of a Legal Framework Governing RadiationrnProtection, the Safety of Radiation Sources and the Safe Management of RadioactivernWaste, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in April 2001, to advance the application of thernCode of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources, as well as proposalsrnfor follow-up, are discussed.