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[Fair Use: For Education and Research Purpose Only]RADIATION LEAK
Arthit unhappy over OAEP performance Wants new laws to plug loopholes
by Ploenpote Atthakor
The minister of Science, Technology and Environment yesterday slammed the Office of Atomic Energy for Peace over the radiation leak at a scrapyard in Samut Prakan.
Arthit Ourairat was visibly upset with the OAEP's performance and its failure to provide up-to-date information regarding the number of machines using radioactive substances and the whereabouts of those decommissioned.
The OAEP should have taken safety procedures more seriously and done everything possible to ensure these procedures were strictly observed by all concerned parties, he said.
Mr Arthit was speaking at a meeting with representatives of private companies dealing in radioactive products, following the discovery of cobalt 60 slugs at the scrapyard which resulted in 10 people needing hospital treatment.
He pledged to revamp atomic energy agency and related laws, especially legislation loopholes in the 1961 Atomic Energy for Peace Act, so the agency could deal with radioactive matters more efficiently.
The OAEP should be able to accept all decommissioned radioactive devices to prevent mishandling, Mr Arthit said after listening to complaints that the agency had refused to take decommissioned radioactive devices for storage or disposal.
Manoon Aramrat, deputy secretary general of the OAEP, admitted guilt.
He blamed bureaucratic red-tape and manpower and budget shortages for the agency's poor performance. The bureaucratic system was also inefficient and made it hard for his agency to handle the advanced technology, he said.
Confusion exists over the number of decommissioned devices. While the official number was nine, it was apparent there were many more. Chulalongkorn Hospital said it stored one device underground after the dealer failed to take it back, and their request for the OAEP to take it was rejected.
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-- Dee (T1Colt556@aol.com), February 24, 2000