NNRA HOSTS IAEA EXPERT MISSION ON NATIONAL INVENTORIES OF CATEGORY 1 AND 2 RADIOACTIVE SOURCES IN NIGERIA

NNRA HOSTS IAEA EXPERT MISSION ON NATIONAL INVENTORIES OF CATEGORY 1 AND 2 RADIOACTIVE SOURCES IN NIGERIA

The Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA) in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is conducting a three-day IAEA Expert Mission on the Review of Existing Information of National Inventories of Category 1 and 2 Radioactive Sources in Nigeria from 21st-23rd November, 2022.

The Mission aims at updating the national inventory of Disused Sealed Radioactive Sources (DSRS) in the country including categorizing all DSRS and providing feasible options for managing these disused sealed radioactive sources.

The entry meeting was held at the NNRA Headquarters’ Board Room where the DG NNRA Dr. Yau Idris welcomed the IAEA Experts and applauded the IAEA for always providing international requirements and recommendations for an effective and sustainable regulatory system for the control of radioactive material. He remarked that disused sealed sources if lost or not properly controlled can be a threat to human health and environment hence it is important to take a detailed inventory of the DSRS, characterize all DSRS and ensure good record keeping. He urged the NNRA team to cooperate with the IAEA Experts by granting them all the necessary assistance.

Mr. Younnes EL-Abari, the IAEA team lead thanked the NNRA Management team for hosting the mission and stated that the mission is designed to help improve the national capabilities for disused sealed sources management by providing technical assistance on the handling, conditioning, and storage of DSRS as well as repatriation.

As part of the IAEA mission, the IAEA Experts and NNRA personnel are conducting a safety and security assessment of the DSRS in selected facilities across the country.