On 19 September 2018, at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference in Vienna, ARPANSA’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Gillian Hirth, alongside the Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Dutch Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS), Marco Brugmans, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU). Through the MoU, ARPANSA and ANVS committed to cooperation and the sharing of research, with a particular focus on the exchange of information relating to research reactors.

ARPANSA can provide insights and share experiences with ANVS on regulating research reactors as the Dutch Government is in process of a new research reactor at Petten, in the country’s north-west. ARPANSA’s experience in licensing and regulating a modern research reactor, the Open Pool Australian Lightwater (OPAL) reactor will be valuable to ANVS as it embarks on the licensing process for the new Petten reactor.

This agreement reinforces ARPANSA’s reputation as a leading regulator with specialist knowledge sought by international partners, and will foster further improvements on mutual technical and regulatory research and developments.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates on Australian and international changes and developments in the fields of nuclear and radiation.

ARPANSA is mandated to ensure the safe use of radiation in Australia. To do this and to make sure our medical radiation services stay at the forefront of international best practice, we are future-proofing the nation   by installing a new medical linear accelerator (linac).

ARPANSA will procure this new state-of-the-art piece of equipment to help create optimal results for cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy in Australia. The new linac will replace our old one and be housed in a newly constructed bunker.

Each year, over 60,000 Australians undergo radiation therapy as part of their cancer treatment. Linacs are the medical devices used to deliver this therapy in highly-targeted dosages. Independent checking of the calibration of linacs (or dosimetry auditing) is an important aspect of ensuring both accurate and safe radiation treatment. 

The new linac will ensure each radiotherapy patient across Australia receives the optimal dose needed to treat their cancer. This means the Australian public can rest assured that radiation oncology in Australia continues to be of a high quality.

Our new linac is being installed in a brand new education suite enabling ARPANSA to complement its world-class research capability with a modern education centre. The project is due to be completed by the end of the year. Read more about our current linac here or follow us on Facebook for our new linac construction updates.

On 29 June 2018, the CEO of ARPANSA, Dr Carl-Magnus Larsson, issued the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) with a direction under section 41(1A) of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Act 1998 (the Act), which was tabled in Parliament on Friday 24 August.

The direction requires ANSTO to take immediate steps to initiate an independent review of its approach to occupational radiation safety of processes and operational procedures at its nuclear medicine facility, ANSTO Health (Lucas Heights, NSW), in particular those associated with quality control of molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) samples.

Dr Larsson decided to issue the direction following four separate events with safety implications at ANSTO Health in less than 10 months. The first and most significant event was the contamination event of a staff member’s hands on 22 August 2017. After that event, the CEO of ARPANSA found ANSTO to be non-compliant with licence conditions and, due to its severity, tabled a report in Parliament under section 61(1) of the Act. Three further events including the latest event on 7 June 2018 indicate ongoing safety issues at ANSTO Health.

In line with the direction, ARPANSA today approved ANSTO’s appointment of an external review team to undertake the review at ANSTO. This review will provide recommendations to improve safety practices, along with a plan and associated timelines to implement any actions.

See our Significant regulatory activities page for the tabled direction and other updates.

*This article was originally published on Thursday 19 July 2018 and updated on Thursday 6 September 2018.

26 July 2018

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) is establishing a network of radiation detectors to monitor Australian ports to assist in the national preparedness for a visiting nuclear-powered warship accident. Australian ports regularly receive visits from the naval vessels of friendly nations, some of which are nuclear-powered. These visits are often the most visible aspect of the defence cooperation between Australia and other countries in peacetime.

In the unlikely event of an accident, Australia has adopted arrangements which require radiation monitoring of the nuclear-powered vessel while it is berthed at port. This monitoring program has two components: environmental monitoring to detect the release of any radioactive material to the environment; and direct radiation monitoring of the vicinity of the nuclear-powered vessel to provide warning of any malfunction which may result in a release of radioactivity.

ARPANSA is establishing the Australian Radiation Monitoring System (ARMS) to monitor the environment when Australian ports receive a visiting nuclear-powered vessel. The automated system will be an early warning system in the event of a radiological release from a visiting vessel and will be able to provide valuable data before, during and after a nuclear accident.

While initially setting up stations in Western Australia, Northern Territory, and Queensland, we will also set up a monitoring station at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation’s Lucas Heights facilities. ARPANSA intends to complete installation of the detectors before the end of 2018.

More information about planning for visits from nuclear-powered warships is available on our website. Find out more about the monitoring results for nuclear-powered warship visits, and how this monitoring is conducted.

Telecommunications equipment such as mobile phones, Wi-Fi, TV and radio transmitters all produce radiofrequency (RF) fields. Other sources of RF fields include microwave ovens, radar, industrial sources, and various medical applications. The amount of RF found in the everyday environment from common sources is low and not known to produce any health effects. For high exposures ARPANSA published a Standard in 2002 to protect the public and workers from the established effects of RF. The ARPANSA RF Standard is closely aligned with international guidelines prepared by the International Commission for Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) in 1998 and endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Since 2000, research in the area of RF and health has grown rapidly and ICNIRP the last few years has been revising its RF guidelines. ICNIRP has released a draft revised guidelines document and is seeking feedback via a public consultation process.

ARPANSA is also revising its RF Standard and will consider the ICNIRP guidelines in the revision process. In the meantime the current 2002 Standard provides adequate protection and any new changes will be small.

More information about radiofrequency radiation can be found on our website.

If you would like to know more about sources of RF fields find our factsheets below:

• Mobile phones and health
• How to reduce exposure from mobile phones and other wireless devices
• Mobile phone base stations and health
• Wi-fi and health

Aircrew are exposed to elevated levels of cosmic radiation while flying at high altitudes. A recent study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in the United States found that the prevalence of certain cancers in flight attendants was higher than the general population.

While the radiation doses to aircrew are below the national dose limits for occupationally exposed workers, this recent study found a higher prevalence of breast cancer, melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer compared with the general population. Researchers gathered data on cancer prevalence in 5366 flight attendants and 2729 members of the general public, matched by similar socio-economic status.

While the study was reported in the media, we found that there are a number of considerations that should be taken into account when looking at these results. The study:

• measured cancer at a certain point in time.
  The study looked at a comparison of cancer prevalence in flight attendants when compared with cancer prevalence in the general public. As an indicator of the likelihood of developing cancer as a result of working as a flight attendant, cancer prevalence is limited in that it only measures the occurrence of disease at a certain point of time. Although this can serve as an indication of the disease, the evidence supporting the association is weakened by a limited understanding of how the disease rates changed over time. A better indication of the risk factors would have been achieved by measuring the incidence of cancers examined where cases would have been recorded over time.
• estimated radiation dose.
  The study did not measure the exposure of the flight attendants to cosmic radiation, and estimated the doses to flight attendants based on how long each person had been working as a flight attendant.

Possible risk factors

The authors identified a number of known and probable carcinogens that flight attendants would be exposed including: ionising radiation, circadian rhythm disruptions from night shift work, irregular schedules and crossing time zones, and poor cabin air quality such as second hand tobacco smoke from before the implementation of smoking bans. The authors also identified (but did not adjust for) confounders such as recreational ultraviolet radiation exposure, including outdoor activities such as hiking or going to the beach.

The results of the study were consistent with similar studies, but given its limitations further studies with improved methods are required.

What is ARPANSA doing about cosmic radiation exposure to aircrew?

We are involved in a study lead by QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute investigating the incidence of melanoma in commercial pilots in Australia. The first results of this study will be announced at the Australasian Society of Aerospace Medicine Conference in August 2018.

In 2017 we also published a Guide for Radiation Protection in Existing Exposure Situations (RPS G-2) which gives guidance to aircrew on exposure to cosmic radiation while flying. The advice is that while the radiation doses to aircrew are expected to be low, we recommended airlines assess the exposure situations of their crew, with additional consideration to be made for pregnant aircrew.

Find out more about exposure to cosmic radiation while flying. Our advice for casual flyers and aircrew is that there is no increase in health risk from exposure to naturally occurring cosmic radiation while flying. While this advice remains current and accurate, we are reviewing this factsheet and will include advice to aircrew about ultraviolet radiation exposure.

For more information contact our media line: 0429 264 693, media@arpansa.gov.au

An article published in the Daily Mail Australia on 18 June 2018, reports that using a mobile phone can be as damaging on your skin as being out in the sun. The article mentions scientific research published in 2015 that shows blue light exposure from phototherapy applications can aid in the production of free radicals in human skin. However, the level of blue light exposure from phototherapy is much higher than mobile phones and is therefore is not comparable. Blue light from screens may, however, be a disruptor of the human sleep-wake cycles.

The 2015 research that was conducted reports the effect of blue light from phototherapy applications in the destruction of carotenoids. These carotenoids are dietary intake substances that protect the skin from oxidative stress and therefore reduce the production of free radicals. While this relationship was reported in this study, it should be noted that the level of exposure from phototherapy is much higher than that from common screen based technologies such as mobile phones and tablets and therefore not comparable when considering these biological effects.

Our advice on the hazard from exposure to blue-light is consistent with the International Commission on Non-ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) which is supported by the 2017 findings of the Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER) Preliminary opinion on Potential risks to human health of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs).

SCHEER found that exposure to blue light from the LEDs that are integral components in the screens of smartphones and other devices in the night-time hours suppresses the production of melatonin, which contributes to the regulation of sleep and wake cycles. The health implications of the disruption of the day and night (circadian) rhythm remain unclear and continue to be the subject of research.

It is concerning that the exposure from smartphones has been compared to the same time spent in the sun. Time in the sun results in exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR), a known carcinogen.

Visit our sun exposure and health page to find out more about UV radiation and how to protect yourself.

Starting on Monday 4 June and continuing this week, ARPANSA, in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency, hosts a Regional Training Course on Radiochemical Analysis of Marine Environmental Samples.

The analysis of marine radionuclides help paint a picture of environmental changes in our oceans. Radionuclides in seawater and sediment move through the marine environment and are concentrated in both marine organisms and humans. For example, plutonium isotopes and americium-241 are used to trace ocean circulation and water mass mixing. Another radionuclide, lead-210 is extensively used as a tracer for sediment dating.

This course is another initiative where ARPANSA supports the furthering of capacities and capabilities within the Asia-Pacific, in the radiochemical and radioanalytical field.

Participants in the training course have come from all over the Asia-Pacific, including: Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Indonesia.

More specifically, the course gives participants:

• theoretical presentations by local and international experts.
• hands-on practical training in the laboratory working with sediment dating models.
• instruction in the analysis, reporting and interpretation of data.
• the opportunity to share their views, expertise and methodologies.
• the opportunity to discuss the day-to-day laboratory work challenges with local and international experts.

For more information about our radioanalytical research and expertise, visit our Radioanalytical Service page.

On 24-25 May 2018, ARPANSA and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) hosted an Asia-Pacific region workshop on the Establishment and Maintenance of a National Dose Registry for those who work with radiation as part of their jobs.

Monitoring workers for radiation exposure and recording of occupational doses are important aspects of any radiation protection program. In Australia, it is mandatory that workers’ doses are recorded and maintained for the long term. We manage the Australian National Radiation Dose Register (ANRDR), which securely stores and maintains radiation dose records to help employers meet their record keeping requirements.

The regional workshop, coordinated by ARPANSA and the IAEA, and facilitated by experts from Latin America, provided an opportunity to share best practice approaches for establishing and maintaining a national dose registry of exposed workers.

Participants presented on the status of their national dose registries, challenges they face in implementing and operating a registry, and shared lessons learned.

The ANRDR currently stores dose records for thousands of workers in the Australian uranium mining and milling industry, the mineral sands industry and Commonwealth licence holders. The ANRDR team is now working closely with a partner organisation in the medical sector as part of the pilot phase of its expansion to that sector. Workers who have their records submitted to the ANRDR by their employer are able to request their personal dose history report to track the radiation doses received throughout their career.

Find out more about the ANRDR and its benefits.

ARPANSA is a proud bronze sponsor of the fifth Asian and Oceanic International Radiation Protection Association Regional Congress on Radiation Protection (AOCRP5), hosted in Melbourne this week.

AOCRP5 brings together many radiation protection professionals from across the Asia-Pacific region to discuss best practices in our field.

From Monday 21 - Wednesday 23 May, AOCRP5 gives the opportunity for professionals in our region to exchange information, knowledge and experiences on radiation safety matters in all areas of applications of ionising and non-ionising radiation.

The congress features several presentations from ARPANSA staff, including a keynote speech from our CEO Carl-Magnus Larsson. Dr Larsson’s presentation focuses on radioactive waste disposal with an Australian context, the regulatory environment, and ARPANSA’s role in the National Radioactive Waste Management Project.

Our staff will also present on other diverse topics including:

• medical exposures of patients: this could include through diagnostic means such as x-rays or computed tomography (CT) scans.
• national and international framework for protection against non-ionising radiation including electromagnetic radiation from mobile phone base stations and wi-fi
• emergency preparedness and response: strengthening global preparedness for radiological and nuclear emergencies
• neutron dosimetry: measuring doses of those who work with radiation
• occupational radiation exposure: minimising radiation risk for workers.

We are also holding two breakfast workshops. Our breakfast workshop on radon looks at recent changes to how risk is assessed from inhalation of radon and its decay products and enable discussion on emerging radon issues in Australia.

Our breakfast workshop on radiofrequency (RF) health science will give a brief overview of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (EMF) health science and guidelines developed by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection on the safe use of RF EMF.
We will also have a booth at the conference highlighting the advice and services we provide. Our booth will be staffed by scientific experts who are able to answer questions. Many of our booth staff also answer enquiries from the public through our Talk to a Scientist program.

More information, including the congress program, can be found on the AOCRP5 website. Can’t make it to AOCRP5? Follow our Facebook and Twitter accounts for congress and presentation updates as they happen.