Sharing safety practices and growth in nuclear tech
The Star Online, 11 October 2014
A TWO-WEEK course to promote better radiation safety practices at workplace themed ‘Radiation Protection in Nuclear Medicine’ was held in Putrajaya and Penang.
The event in Penang saw participants and officials from Qatar, Oman, Yemen, Morocco, Palestine, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Turkey and Nepal.
Organised by the Malaysian Nuclear Agency (MNA) together with the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP) and the Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation, the event was aimed at sharing Malaysia’s development and expertise on nuclear medicine.
MNA’s commercialisation & techno- logy planning senior director Shafaai Hassan explained that nuclear techno- logies have been widely used around the world.
“Some 55 to 60 percent of nuclear technologies are used for medical purposes while about 35 to 40 percent are used for agriculture industries,” he said during the recent event at Gurney Hotel.
MNA director-general Datuk Dr Muhamad Lebai Juri said that Malaysia currently has four sets of Medical Cyclotrons, which are capable of developing and producing radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals relevant for imaging and therapy.
“The current Medical Cyclotrons we have range from 11 to 18 million electron volts, and by next year we are looking to acquiring a RM200mil 30MeV Multipurpose Cyclotron, which will take three years to build.
“It will not only offer wider capabilities in medical research such as for diagnosing and treatment of cancer but also for research in heavy industries,” he added.
