We’re proud to announce that Dr Gillian Hirth, Head of Radiation Health Services and deputy CEO at ARPANSA, has been elected as Chair of the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) for the 66th and 67th sessions in 2019 and 2020. 

Gillian took over as Chair from Dr Hans Vanmarcke, from the Nuclear Research Centre in Belgium, in June. 

Gillian has been involved with the Committee since 2012 and previously served as the Committee’s Rapporteur in 2017 and 2018.

UNSCEAR is a world authority on the effects of ionising radiation on human health and the environment. The Committee meets annually to assess and report on the effects of exposure to ionising radiation on human health and the environment as well as reviewing evidence of radiation-induced health effects around the globe. 

The assessments made by UNSCEAR are used as the scientific basis for evaluating radiation risk and establishing protective measures globally and are used for formulating international standards designed to protect both the general public and workers from ionising radiation. Australia has been a member of the Committee since it was founded in 1955.

Congratulations to Gillian on her appointment, which recognises her expertise and leadership in radiation health as well as Australia’s contribution to nuclear science in the global arena. 

Production of nuclear medicine at ANSTO’s nuclear medicine (ANM) facility[1] was halted on 21 June following an accident in which the hands of three workers were exposed to radiation. Two of the workers received a dose that exceeded the statutory annual dose limit for the hands. ARPANSA has given the accident a preliminary rating of Level 2 on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale, INES[2].

ARPANSA instructed ANSTO to not resume operations until ARPANSA had assessed how and why the accident happened, and reviewed ANSTO’s own assessment of the accident including their proposed controls to keep workers safe.

On Friday 5 July, the CEO of ARPANSA restricted production in the ANM Facility to a level that can satisfy the domestic demand for nuclear medicine only.  ANSTO was authorised to recommence production with this restriction from 6 July.

The CEO’s decision was informed by previous safety events during nuclear medicine production at ANSTO as well as ARPANSA’s review of the circumstances around this accident, including the sequence of events, effectiveness of controls and contributing factors.

The CEO has stated that ANSTO must direct its attention to a number of safety issues, with particular focus on organisational and human factors such as production pressure, situational awareness and leadership and management for safety.

ANSTO must allocate sufficient resources to address safety as a priority above the demands of production. Production will remain restricted until ARPANSA has noted demonstrable progress and is satisfied with workers’ safety.  

ARPANSA is continuing its investigation into the causes and contributing factors of the accident.  A formal decision on whether there has been a failure on ANSTO’s part to comply with conditions of the ANM licence is pending.

Read more: Contamination event at ANSTO Nuclear Medicine facility

On Friday 21 June 2019, ARPANSA was notified of a radiation contamination event at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) Nuclear Medicine (ANM) production facility in Lucas Heights, New South Wales.

The ANM facility was only recently licensed to undertake routine operations, on 24 May 2019. This decision was made after ANSTO had taken a year to carry out commissioning tests and comply with ARPANSA’s regulatory requirements.

The contamination event has resulted in accidental radiation exposure to the hands of three employees. 

ANSTO’s preliminary assessments indicate that the dose received by two of the employees is approximately two to three times above the statutory annual dose limit for the hands. The exposure of the third employee is expected to be significant but below the statutory annual dose limit.

If the exposures are confirmed to exceed the statutory annual dose limit, ARPANSA will make a notification under the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) at level 2. The INES scale ranges from zero (with no safety significance) to 7 (major accident).

ARPANSA inspectors conducted a visit to ANSTO on the same day the accident occurred and again on Monday 24 June 2019.

Production of nuclear medicine at ANM has ceased and ARPANSA has notified ANSTO that they are not authorised to resume operations at ANM without ARPANSA’s approval. ANSTO must provide ARPANSA with a satisfactory assessment of what happened, why it happened and how they will prevent it from reoccurring. 

ANSTO has initiated an investigation and will provide us with an investigation report by 5 July 2019.

ARPANSA will assess the information as we receive it in order to form a view on the safety of ANSTO’s operations and to identify next steps, including any further regulatory actions.

We have published the Guide for Radiation Protection in Emergency Exposure Situations. 

This Guide provides the framework in Australia for the protection of emergency workers, helpers, the public and the environment in emergency exposure situations as well as providing guidance for the planning, preparedness, response and transition required to effectively respond to an emergency. 

The Guide is published in two parts and describes objectives for protection of human health, drawing on international best practice in planning, preparedness, response and transition in nuclear or radiological emergencies. 

Guide for Radiation Protection in Emergency Exposure Situations (RPS G-3, Parts 1 and 2, 2019)
 

On 24 May 2019, ARPANSA’s CEO, Dr Carl-Magnus Larsson amended a licence issued to the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) to operate the ANSTO Nuclear Medicine (ANM) facility.

The amendment enables ANSTO to commence routine production of molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) in the ANM facility for Australian and international markets. 

Mo-99 is the parent isotope of technetium-99m, a medical isotope used for diagnostic imaging of cancer tumours and undertaking organ function studies such as in cardiac and renal imaging.

On 12 April 2018, the CEO of ARPANSA issued a licence to ANSTO authorising it to operate the ANM facility for the purpose of ‘hot’ commissioning only. Licence condition 8 specified minimum requirements that would need to be fulfilled before routine operations for the supply of nuclear medicine to the Australian and international markets could commence.

On 12 March 2019, ANSTO submitted an application under section 63 of the ARPANS regulations to remove Licence Condition 8 in order to commence routine operations. ARPANSA officers reviewed this submission and made recommendations to the CEO to remove the licence condition. Taking this assessment into account, the CEO of ARPANSA was assured that the actions taken by ANSTO satisfy licence condition 8 and he amended the licence to remove it. Licence condition 8 will now be replaced by a new licence condition which requires ANSTO to update its risk assessment using a revised methodology for the ANM facility by April 2020.

You can read the CEO of ARPANSA’s Statement of Reasons.

On 2 April 2019, the CEO of ARPANSA amended a licence issued to the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) to authorise limited production of molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) in the ANSTO Nuclear Medicine (ANM) Facility.

Mo-99 is the parent nuclide of technetium-99m (Tc-99m) which is the radioisotope used in nuclear medicine procedures for the diagnosis of heart disease and other diseases. Mo-99 is currently produced in Building 54 whereas the ANM Facility only has a hot commissioning licence to produce Mo-99 and is not licensed for the routine production of nuclear medicine for domestic and international markets. 

However, following receipt of an application from ANSTO under section 63 of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Regulations 2018, the CEO of ARPANSA authorised production of 30 batches of Mo-99, before the full operating licence for ANM is issued, for the purpose of mitigating risks of interruption in the supply of Mo-99 and its decay product Tc-99m to domestic and international customers. The request by ANSTO was prompted by failures of operating plant at Building 54 which have the potential to interrupt supply of Mo-99 to these markets.

The request was assessed by ARPANSA and no safety issues were identified. A licence condition was added to the amended licence to allow production of 30 batches and provide additional reporting during this period.

You can read the CEO of ARPANSA’s Statement of Reasons below:

Over 60 000 Australians will undergo radiation therapy as part of their cancer treatment this year. Linear accelerators (linacs) deliver this therapy in highly targeted dosages. 

With the installation and operation of our brand new state-of-the-art linac, ARPANSA has ensured the continued safe delivery of radiation therapy services in Australia for the next decade.

The linac will also sit within a world-class research and education centre. The Roger Allison Radiotherapy Quality Centre will be used for a variety of partnership projects to facilitate both national and international research in medical imaging.
Dr Ivan Williams, Chief Medical Radiation Scientist, Medical Radiation Services at ARPANSA highlights, ‘the new linac will support ARPANSA’s medical radiation services to continue in ensuring any Australians undergoing medical procedures receive the correct amount of radiation.’

‘It will maintain both our medical radiation services capability, and international best practice in medical radiation protection.’
Dr Williams is confident the linac and research centre, ‘has future-proofed ARPANSA against anticipated changes in the dynamic medical oncology environment so that we can re-create advanced clinical practice and measure it.’
The linac will support some of the following ARPANSA essential services:

• Australian Radiation primary standards. All radiotherapy treatments within Australia trace back to our ionising radiation primary standard. We are one of only a dozen primary standard dosimetry laboratories in the world that maintain a primary standard for ionising radiation.
• Australian Clinical Dosimetry Service (ACDS). This is a world-leading and independent dosimetry auditing program. The ACDS provides quality assurance for radiation oncology facilities and patients and offer treatment assurance for 100% of Australian radiotherapy facilities via a multi-level audit service.

[video:https://youtu.be/CnOF2skZIL0]

For more information on the new state-of-the-art linac contact media@arpansa.gov.au

The Governor-General has reappointed Dr Carl-Magnus Larsson as the CEO of ARPANSA for a term of three years, commencing on 22 March 2019. 

This is Dr Larsson’s third term as CEO since he commenced at ARPANSA in March 2010. 

Dr Larsson is energised about ARPANSA’s future, stating, ‘I am proud of what the organisation has achieved, and look forward to another three years.’

He says, ‘I look forward to continuing to ensure Australians are protected from the harmful effects of radiation – by maintaining the delivery of our high quality services, providing Australians with health advice and independently regulating Commonwealth entities that use or produce radiation.’ 

Dr Larsson highlights that, ‘ARPANSA plays many roles nationally and internationally and contributes to ensuring that Australians stay healthy and safe. Some of our great services include holding the primary standard for absorbed dose in Australia, monitoring UV radiation minute-by-minute, auditing radiotherapy equipment used in cancer treatment, and offering radiation monitoring services to Australians who work with radiation.’

Dr Larsson is a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency Commission on Safety Standards and was recently appointed Vice-President of the 8th review meeting under the terms of the Convention on Nuclear Safety. He is a member of the Main Commission of the International Commission on Radiological Protection and past chair of Committee 5. He has been the Australian Representative to the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation and chaired the Committee 2012-2015. 

Prior to working at ARPANSA, Dr Larsson worked at the Swedish Radiation Protection Authority holding positions as branch head and Deputy Director-General with responsibilities for radiation protection, waste management, radioactive materials, security and emergency preparedness and response.
 

We’ve recently released national advice for light-based cosmetic treatments in Australia for both patients and practitioners. 

The use of lasers, intense pulsed light (IPL) devices and light-emitting diode (LED) phototherapy (collectively referred to as light-based techniques) has grown significantly in popularity and availability in recent years. While these treatments may offer a range of benefits, they also have risks associated and can be hazardous if not properly administered, or maintained, to both consumers and providers.   
To address a lack of national oversight in the area, ARPANSA has jointly-collaborated with the community and interested parties to develop advice. This aims to promote a uniform approach in managing key issues around the use of optical radiation for non-surgical cosmetic treatments.

The advice is broken up into information for: 

• practitioners working with light-based techniques clients receiving treatments. 
• consumers - to shed light on common safety topics for light-based cosmetic treatments and promotes a best practice approach to issues that may occur. 

Although ARPANSA has released this advice, the regulation of private businesses offering these services is a matter for the state or territory where the business practices. 

Any enquiries regarding regulation should be directed to the relevant state or territory regulator.

Read the advice for consumers.
Read the advice for providers.

The final report for the Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission to Australia has been released. 

The mission reviewed all Australian jurisdictions’ radiation protection regulatory practices in November 2018. It bench marked Australia against the International Atomic Energy Agency Safety Standards.
The final report highlighted several good practices for Australia and put forward some recommendations and suggestions, as outlined in an earlier What’s New article. 

High level findings commended Australia’s robust national safety framework. Recommendations included asking the Commonwealth Government to address the decommissioning of facilities and radioactive waste management, and ARPANSA to establish criteria to evaluate the effectiveness of our licensee’s emergency exercises. 

ARPANSA will work with the relevant Commonwealth departments, and State and Territory regulators, to develop an action plan to address the recommendations.

A follow up IRRS mission will visit Australia in approximately 2021-22 to assess our progress and the effectiveness of changes with the action plan. 

You can read an executive summary of the recommendations and a full detail of the report.