Radiation medicine has both the capacity to heal patients, by stemming the growth of malignant tumours and cancers, as well as to grievously harm them, by miscalculating the radiation doses received by patients. With the proceedings of World Cancer Day still fresh in our minds, it's an appropriate time to consider the role of radiation safety in medical practice, and how best to strengthen existing safety frameworks to ensure that radiation safety receives prime attention in the medical practice to maximize its benefit and minimize its risk. This is the aim of a forthcoming seminar which will apprise regulators and health authorities in the Latin America and the Caribbean region of the new International Basic Safety Standards, issued in the IAEA Safety Standard Series as General Safety Requirements Part 3 (GSR Part 3).
The seminar-scheduled to take place from 23 to 27 March 2015 in Santiago, Chile-will gather national regulators and health authorities responsible for setting an appropriate frame to enable the safe use of radiation in the medical practice in the region to discuss the newest safety requirements established in the GSR Part 3, titled "Radiation Protection and Safety of Radiation Sources: International Basic Safety Standards." The document lays down the legal and regulatory foundation for establishing systems of protection and safety against all kind of exposure situations, including planned situations, emergency exposure situation and exposure stemming from existing situations, including exposure due to natural background and residual radiation from past practices. The rules and requirements stipulated in GSR Part 3 were sponsored jointly by the IAEA, the European Commission (EC), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the United Nation Environment Programme and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Medical applications are among the chief practices in many countries in the region of Latin America and the Caribbean, both in terms of size and benefit for society, which make use of ionizing radiation to diagnose as well as to treat certain non-communicable diseases, usually cancer. Upon this consideration, the IAEA, PAHO, the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA), the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Ibero-American Forum of Radiological and Nuclear Regulatory Agencies (FORO), in cooperation with the Government of Chile through the Ministry for Health, will organize the seminar, targeting senior officers from regulatory bodies and health authorities of the region. H.E. Ms. Carmen Castillo, Minister of Health of Chile, will address the seminar participants at the opening session, altogether with representatives of the co-organizing organizations and institutions.
The seminar is being organized under the framework of an ongoing regional technical cooperation (TC) project, which is marshalling the efforts of the countries of the region to enhance radiation safety, by organizing mentor-based training sessions, providing expert advice, and arranging seminar such as this one, the TC project aims to bolster the regulatory frameworks which keep workers, patients and the public protected from the potential harmful effects of radiation. Approximately, 70 participants from 25 countries will benefit from the seminar.
In addition to a detailed analysis and explanation of the new safety requirements by experts and staff of the co-organizers, the seminar will include presentations of national experiences in implementing the safety standards, and an analysis of possible challenges which might delay that implementation. The TECDOC 1710/s, "National Radiation Protection Programme in Medical Exposure" will be presented as a reference model for the implementation of the GSR Part 3 in medical practice. Finally, a collaborative session to prepare a list of recommendations to pave the way for future action and cooperation will conclude the seminar.