Country presentation

Mengistu Balcha, R/A/W/ management and R/Emergency

Preparedness and Response team leader, Ethiopian Radiation Protection Authority (ERPA) March 17-21/2014 Tunisia, Tunis

1. Overview of facility which generate radioactive waste in Ethiopia

• The radioactive waste is generated from the medical, Industrial, research and agricultural application.

• At present there are about200 authorized facilities in Ethiopia that use radiation emitting devices and/or radioactive sources.

• Major practices in Ethiopia are Co-60 Tse-Tse fly sterilization Irradiator, Cs-137 Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory (SSDL) Irradiator, Co-60 radiotherapy sources, C0-60 agricultural research irradiator .

Category I, II and III sources No

Name of the institutions Location/

region Application Radionuclied Activity in (TBq) Quantity

1 Black lion hospital Addis Ababa

radiotherapy Co-60 370&337.9 2

2 Tse-Tse fly irradiator project

Addis Ababa Irradiator Co-60 970 1

3

Bishoftu Agricultural research irradiator

Bishoftu Irradiator Co-60 925/370 2

4National Metrology institute

Addis Ababa

SSDL Irradiator Cs137 0.740 1

5 Addis Ababa University

Addis Ababa

Research Irradiator

RA/Be,Am/Be

Neutron sources 1

6

Armauer Hansene Research Institute(AHRI)

Addis Ababa

Blade irradiator Cs137 21.127 1

Total radioactive sources No Application Total no found in the country

medicine industry research Comment1 Well logging -- 11 -- 3 returned to

the manf2 Moisture density

gauges-- 148 -- --

3 Density gauge -- 3

4 sterilization -- 1

5 research -- --- 2 Blood/cerial irradiator

6 Level gauge -- 6 --

7 calibration -- 1 -- SSDL

8 Brachytherapy low doserate

5 --- ---

9 Check Source -- 2 ---

10 Teletherapy 2 --- ---

2. Current status and plan• The radioactive waste import before the

establishment of the Authority and orphan sources will be collected to the CWPSF.

• The radioactive material that pass thorough control of the RB will be returned to the supplier according the agreement made at the time of the import.

• After the establishment of the RB still there is a lot of orphan sources is collected from scrape metal dealer.

• Ultimately these source have to be disposed .

3. RW inventory and waste classification

• There is one Central Radioactive Waste Storage and Processing Facility( CRWPSF) which used to store the conditioned and un-condition radioactive wastes.

• Inventory of the conditioned and unconditioned radioactive spent or disused sources stored in the interim storage facility of the Ethiopian Radiation Protection Authority (ERPA).

Inventory of the conditioned radioactive waste

I Package

No.II Shield

No.

III Capsule No

IV

Radionuclides

V Acvtivity -

Year (GBq-2002)

VI D-value TBq

VII Ratio of

A/D

VIII Category

A/D based

IX No,

of sources

ETH 01 S11 Ra-226 1.46 (43mg) 4.00E-02 3.65E-02 4 9

3 Ra-226 0.9 (24 mg) 4.00E-02 2.25E-02 4 2

ETH 02 S2

1 Cs-137 7.40E-01 1.00E-01 7.40E-03 5 3

2 Co-60 1.10E-01 3.00E-02 3.67E-03 5 1

4 Sr-90- 7.40E-01 4.00E+00 1.85E-04 5 1

ETH 03 S3ETH/02241 Am-241 5.90E-01 6.00E-02 9.83E-03 5 1

Inventory of the unconditioned spent/disused radioactive waste

I No.

II Radionuclide III Activity IV Remark

1Am-241 3 Ci

Needs to be conditioned

2 Co-60 2.5 kCi Irradiator 3 Unknown (but tried

to be identified as Am-241)

Unknown Orphan Source

Recovered (Metal Shielded)

4Unknown Unknown

25 (calibration sources for well

logging?)5 Co-60 868 Ci (May 22,

2009Spent Teletherapy

Source 6 Cs-137 3.7 GBq

disused density gauge Midroc

7 Cs-137 11.1GBqdisused density gauge Midroc

Inventory of the unconditioned spent/disused radioactive waste

I

No.

II Radionuclide

III Activity IV Remark

8 Am-241/Be 1.48 GBq disused moisture density gauge Cs-137 0.296 GBq

9 Am-241/Be 1.48 GBq disused moisture density gauge Cs-137 0.296 GBq

12Unknown (but tried to be identified as Pu 239 & Cs-137

Unknown Recovered Speed gauges from property collecting and Re-using Station

13

Unknown (but tried to be identified as Cs-135

Unknown

Heavy army devices and gears from property collecting and Re-using Station

14 Co-60 5 mCi large metal sheet imported with machinery

Short Half Life Radioactive Sources Found by Orphan Sources Recovery Program

I No.

II Radionuclide

III Activity (Year, D. of M. Unknown) IV Quantity in TBq

1 P-32 37 MBq 3.70E-05

2 S-35 1mCi 1.00E-05

3 Sterile generator 6.38 GBq 6.38E-03

4 I131 370 GBq 3.70E-015 I131 370 GBq 3.70E-01

Current and future plans

• Currently the government has built the CRWPS facility which is used for processing and storing the waste collected through out the country.

• Since the radioactive waste has a long half time the ultimately option is to construct the disposal facility.

• Currently there is no any spent sources producing facility in the country.

4. Waste Management policy and strategy

• The Radioactive Waste Management policy and strategy outlines government's thinking in relation to Radioactive Waste management.

• This policy gives us a formidable framework to interact with the world, and our own past, present and future.

• This is a bold policy with a broad vision founded on respect for all the relevant principles for the safe management of radioactive waste.

Waste management policy…

• The radioactive waste management policy is founded on the belief that all radioactive sources should be export back to the manufacturer country after its usable time,

• and should be managed and developed for the benefit of present and future generations in the country as a whole.

• Import and Export of Radioactive waste: In principle Ethiopia will import, and at the end of life time export radioactive waste to the manufacturer or dealer.

Continues….

• It is the objective of the radioactive waste management policy to improve the overall contribution from the medical, Industrial, research and agricultural to this belief.

• The scope of this policy relates to all radioactive wastes, except those exempted by the regulatory Authority, permitted to be released to the environment routinely.

APPLICABLE NATIONAL LEGISLATION

• Radioactive waste shall be managed under such Authority as provided for in the Radiation protection Proclamation No. 571/2008. state the power and duties of the Authority:

• Article 7 sub-article 3, Issue directives for the implementation of police and laws concerning radiation protection and follow up their implementation

• Regulatory bodies shall work in a co-operative manner and be responsible to enforce compliance with legal requirements and advising government as appropriate.

5.Responsibility and role of organization

• Article 7 sub-article 4, the Authority should establish a system for coordination public and private activities with a view to ensuring the radioactive waste management.

• Render radioactive waste management service. • Ensuring a nationally co-ordinated approach to

radioactive waste management • The governance and regulation of radioactive waste

management shall be in accordance with the provisions of international agreements.

Thanks for you attention!!!