A four-member team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is in
St. John’s as a part of a mission to conduct training with key local personnel on
matters related to radiation and nuclear safety.
The Bureau of Standards is the coordinating agency for the advisory mission which
is intended to review and assess the Regulatory Infrastructure for Radiation Safety
and Nuclear Security in Antigua and Barbuda and to make recommendations for
the development of the infrastructure.
The training started on Monday at the conference room of the new Port Authority
Building at the Deep Water Harbour. Participants are drawn from the Antigua and
Barbuda Defense Force, Police Department, Fire and Rescue, Port Authority,
Customs Division, Airport Authority, NODS, National Housing, Sir Lester Bird
Medical Centre, Emergency Medical Services, Legal Affairs, Government
Analytical Services, Antigua and Barbuda Bureau of Standards, Transport Board
and the Solid Waste Management Authority.
Addressing Monday’s opening exercises, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Anthony Liverpool welcomed the IAEA Mission on
Regulatory Infrastructure for Radiation Safety service and thanked the team for
facilitating this workshop. He reminded the participants that the IAEA also
provides innovative scientific solutions to help Small Island Developing States
address critical development challenges in areas of agriculture, health, and the
environment.
He further stated that many countries use nuclear science and technology to meet
their development objectives in areas including energy, human health, food
production, water management, and environmental protection. The use of these
techniques contributes directly to nine of the 17 SDGs
In his remarks, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade, Ambassador
Clarence Pilgrim noted that since joining the IAEA Antigua and Barbuda has
realized tangible benefits.
“Antigua and Barbuda joined the International Atomic Energy Agency in
November 2015, because of the pending establishment of the Cancer Treatment
Centre and the increased use of radiation equipment in various other healthcare
facilities. There was also evidence of minor uses of radiation sources or equipment
in industry, agriculture, and education,” he disclosed.
Ambassador Pilgrim stressed that a national regulatory framework aims to protect
people and the environment from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation.
Accidents involving radiation sources, or nuclear security events involving
radioactive material are often the result of several factors, including the lack of an
adequate regulatory infrastructure for radiation safety and security of radioactive
material.
“An effective national regulatory infrastructure, established per the IAEA safety
standards and nuclear security guidance, can reduce the likelihood of accidents or
malicious acts and, as long as effective emergency preparedness and response
measures exist, mitigate their consequences should they occur,” he declared.
