What One Should do With the Orphaned IRS? An Informing Campaign Has Started in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast

“KROK do Bezpeky” radiation awareness and control information campaign on the Amnesty Programme of Orphaned Ionization Radiation Sources has started. The 15th June press conference in the Most-Dnipro news agency became its starting point.

“KROK do Bezpeky” aims to reduce the number of orphaned radioactive sources, minimize terrorist threats, as well as threats to life and health of citizens. The project was made possible with the support of  U.S. Department of State through Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Dnipropetrovsk region is now the most industrially developed region of Ukraine, and there “Chornobyl Research and Development Institute”, the implementer of the Project, decided to conduct the information campaign. Most industrial processes in production, science and medicine use sources of ionizing radiation, which are devices with radiation components.

In early 1990s, thousands of ionizing radiation sources disappeared, ending up in landfills, scrap metal, basements of abandoned shops, garages and private houses. Being outside of the state control, radioactive sources pose a serious threat to nuclear safety, to life and health of citizens.

“Orphaned ionizing radiation sources pose a potential threat to both humans and nature. If citizens are informed, they will be able to protect themselves and know where to turn if such sources are found. I thank very much the U.S. Government for the technical support for Ukraine on the path to creating a radiation-safe environment,” Sergiy Kalashnyk, the Head of the State Agency of the Exclusion Zone Management declared. The SAUEZM is the Beneficiary of the Project on behalf of Ukraine.

Director of Department of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast State Administration Sergiy Berezan, representing local authorities, added, that  the Amnesty Programme of Orphaned Ionization Radiation Sources could increase nuclear safety in the region.

“It must be understood that some part of the legacy sources lie somewhere. And those who own them may not even know what kind of device it is. And some may know, but are afraid to report. Therefore, this campaign is not only about sources of ionizing radiation in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. It is about the formation of an environment in which the handling of radioactive components is treated responsibly,” he noted.

There is no need to be afraid to call for professionals in order to safely confiscate IRSs, because criminal liability for voluntary surrender of sources is abolished, Director of the Dnipro Interregional Branch of the “Radon Association” Viktor Svidersky emphasized.

“Any interaction of non-specialists with sources of ionizing radiation, and any attempts to disassemble them lead to local radiation accidents. After all, the devices contain materials of different power with alpha, beta, gamma and neutron radiation. We then have to eliminate the leaks of man-made radiation, conduct complex research and spend money on burying not only the source itself, but also items and property that are contaminated with radiation. Therefore, it is better to safely and correctly get rid of such sources, informing experts,” Svidersky said.

The information campaign in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast will last until May 2021. It will end with a programme of pilot collection of sources of ionizing radiation. Olena Salnyk from the PU “Chornobyl Research and Development Institute”, who is the manager of the project “Public Outreach and Information Campaign on the Amnesty Programme of Orphaned Ionization Radiation Sources”, explained the instruments for working with target audiences:

 “Our goal is to give simple answers to complex questions and show citizens and everyone involved in the system of control and management of radwaste and IRS an algorithm of actions. Our campaign will apply to everyone, from children and adolescents to heads of services and departments. To do this, we will prepare unique informational and explanatory content that will help to understand the need to be aware and learn simple rules of conduct in case of contact with IRS. And it will definitely help to preserve life and health, which are the highest value for everyone,” mentioned Ms Salnyk.

Informational video and photo materials presented at the press conference may be downloaded via the link and freely used when covering the IRS topic.

More detailed information on the Project and Campain could be forum at the website krok.uatom.org/en

Reference: the Chornobyl Research and Development Institute is a national think-tank, which implements its own and developed in partnership scientific and technical research concerning radioactive materials management, protection of environment and overcoming radiation disaster effects. The Institute conceives and implements informational, educational, and research programmes in radiology and radiation safety fields. In 2017, the institute was engaged as the implementor of the project “Public Outreach and Information Campaign on the Amnesty Programme of Orphaned Ionization Radiation Sources”, which is being implemented for fulfillment of agreements between the USA and Ukraine in the field of nuclear safety and non-proliferation control and nuclear terrorism prevention programmes.

“Krok do Bezpeky” is the campaign on radiation awareness and radioactive materials, namely orphaned ionizing radiation sources, non-proliferation control. The campaign’s main objective is to increase the information awareness of the population concerning the radiation safety rules and motivate citizens to inform state agencies about found and/or stored ionizing radiation sources, therefore, increasing their life safety level.