An article published in the Daily Mail Australia on 18 June 2018, reports that using a mobile phone can be as damaging on your skin as being out in the sun. The article mentions scientific research published in 2015 that shows blue light exposure from phototherapy applications can aid in the production of free radicals in human skin. However, the level of blue light exposure from phototherapy is much higher than mobile phones and is therefore is not comparable. Blue light from screens may, however, be a disruptor of the human sleep-wake cycles.

The 2015 research that was conducted reports the effect of blue light from phototherapy applications in the destruction of carotenoids. These carotenoids are dietary intake substances that protect the skin from oxidative stress and therefore reduce the production of free radicals. While this relationship was reported in this study, it should be noted that the level of exposure from phototherapy is much higher than that from common screen based technologies such as mobile phones and tablets and therefore not comparable when considering these biological effects.

Our advice on the hazard from exposure to blue-light is consistent with the International Commission on Non-ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) which is supported by the 2017 findings of the Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER) Preliminary opinion on Potential risks to human health of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs).

SCHEER found that exposure to blue light from the LEDs that are integral components in the screens of smartphones and other devices in the night-time hours suppresses the production of melatonin, which contributes to the regulation of sleep and wake cycles. The health implications of the disruption of the day and night (circadian) rhythm remain unclear and continue to be the subject of research.

It is concerning that the exposure from smartphones has been compared to the same time spent in the sun. Time in the sun results in exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR), a known carcinogen.

Visit our sun exposure and health page to find out more about UV radiation and how to protect yourself.

Starting on Monday 4 June and continuing this week, ARPANSA, in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency, hosts a Regional Training Course on Radiochemical Analysis of Marine Environmental Samples.

The analysis of marine radionuclides help paint a picture of environmental changes in our oceans. Radionuclides in seawater and sediment move through the marine environment and are concentrated in both marine organisms and humans. For example, plutonium isotopes and americium-241 are used to trace ocean circulation and water mass mixing. Another radionuclide, lead-210 is extensively used as a tracer for sediment dating.

This course is another initiative where ARPANSA supports the furthering of capacities and capabilities within the Asia-Pacific, in the radiochemical and radioanalytical field.

Participants in the training course have come from all over the Asia-Pacific, including: Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Indonesia.

More specifically, the course gives participants:

• theoretical presentations by local and international experts.
• hands-on practical training in the laboratory working with sediment dating models.
• instruction in the analysis, reporting and interpretation of data.
• the opportunity to share their views, expertise and methodologies.
• the opportunity to discuss the day-to-day laboratory work challenges with local and international experts.

For more information about our radioanalytical research and expertise, visit our Radioanalytical Service page.

On 24-25 May 2018, ARPANSA and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) hosted an Asia-Pacific region workshop on the Establishment and Maintenance of a National Dose Registry for those who work with radiation as part of their jobs.

Monitoring workers for radiation exposure and recording of occupational doses are important aspects of any radiation protection program. In Australia, it is mandatory that workers’ doses are recorded and maintained for the long term. We manage the Australian National Radiation Dose Register (ANRDR), which securely stores and maintains radiation dose records to help employers meet their record keeping requirements.

The regional workshop, coordinated by ARPANSA and the IAEA, and facilitated by experts from Latin America, provided an opportunity to share best practice approaches for establishing and maintaining a national dose registry of exposed workers.

Participants presented on the status of their national dose registries, challenges they face in implementing and operating a registry, and shared lessons learned.

The ANRDR currently stores dose records for thousands of workers in the Australian uranium mining and milling industry, the mineral sands industry and Commonwealth licence holders. The ANRDR team is now working closely with a partner organisation in the medical sector as part of the pilot phase of its expansion to that sector. Workers who have their records submitted to the ANRDR by their employer are able to request their personal dose history report to track the radiation doses received throughout their career.

Find out more about the ANRDR and its benefits.

ARPANSA is a proud bronze sponsor of the fifth Asian and Oceanic International Radiation Protection Association Regional Congress on Radiation Protection (AOCRP5), hosted in Melbourne this week.

AOCRP5 brings together many radiation protection professionals from across the Asia-Pacific region to discuss best practices in our field.

From Monday 21 - Wednesday 23 May, AOCRP5 gives the opportunity for professionals in our region to exchange information, knowledge and experiences on radiation safety matters in all areas of applications of ionising and non-ionising radiation.

The congress features several presentations from ARPANSA staff, including a keynote speech from our CEO Carl-Magnus Larsson. Dr Larsson’s presentation focuses on radioactive waste disposal with an Australian context, the regulatory environment, and ARPANSA’s role in the National Radioactive Waste Management Project.

Our staff will also present on other diverse topics including:

• medical exposures of patients: this could include through diagnostic means such as x-rays or computed tomography (CT) scans.
• national and international framework for protection against non-ionising radiation including electromagnetic radiation from mobile phone base stations and wi-fi
• emergency preparedness and response: strengthening global preparedness for radiological and nuclear emergencies
• neutron dosimetry: measuring doses of those who work with radiation
• occupational radiation exposure: minimising radiation risk for workers.

We are also holding two breakfast workshops. Our breakfast workshop on radon looks at recent changes to how risk is assessed from inhalation of radon and its decay products and enable discussion on emerging radon issues in Australia.

Our breakfast workshop on radiofrequency (RF) health science will give a brief overview of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (EMF) health science and guidelines developed by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection on the safe use of RF EMF.
We will also have a booth at the conference highlighting the advice and services we provide. Our booth will be staffed by scientific experts who are able to answer questions. Many of our booth staff also answer enquiries from the public through our Talk to a Scientist program.

More information, including the congress program, can be found on the AOCRP5 website. Can’t make it to AOCRP5? Follow our Facebook and Twitter accounts for congress and presentation updates as they happen.

ARPANSA’s CEO, Dr Carl-Magnus Larsson has issued a licence to the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) to operate the ANSTO Nuclear Medicine Molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) Facility (the ANM Facility).

The ANM Facility is intended for the extraction and purification of Mo-99 from uranium target plates that have been irradiated in ANSTO's Open Pool Australian Lightwater (OPAL) reactor.

Mo-99 is the parent isotope of technetium-99m (Tc-99m). Tc-99m is a medical isotope used for diagnostic imaging of cancer tumours and undertaking organ function studies such as in cardiac and renal imaging.

The ARPANSA-issued licence authorises ANSTO to commission the ANM Facility using OPAL irradiated target plates.  A number of conditions will have to be fulfilled before routine production can be authorised, including a thorough analysis of the results of the commissioning tests.

The assessment of the ANM application and ‘licence to operate’ decision takes into account the safety of the facility, including its design, construction and operating procedures. It is also informed by advice from the Nuclear Safety Committee (NSC) and by international best practice.

"An important consideration in the decision was the management of radioactive waste," says Dr Larsson.

"The ANM Facility leads to generation of intermediate level waste, or ILW. ANSTO must by mid-2020 report on the generation, storage and treatment and disposal of ILW to ARPANSA. This report must take into account policy and plans for a national system for full life-cycle management of radioactive waste."

The newly issued ‘licence to operate’ for the facility follows two previous licence decisions: in October 2013, Dr Larsson issued a licence to ANSTO to ‘prepare a site’ for the facility and in June 2014, he issued a ‘licence to construct’ the facility.

The facility is located at the Lucas Heights Science and Technology Centre in New South Wales.

You can read the detailed statement of reasons and the regulatory assessment report for the newly issued licence to operate the ANM Facility below.

• Regulatory Assessment Report (RAR) - ANM Operations
  
  
  Regulatory Assessment Report (RAR) - ANM Operations
• Statement of Reasons (SOR) - ANM Operations
  
  
  Statement of Reasons (SOR) - ANM Operations

ARPANSA invited comments from the public in relation to all applications. Two public meetings were held, the most recent in June 2017 in the Engadine Community Centre, Sutherland Shire. A submission in relation to the application was received from Medical Practitioners Against War (MAPW). The statement of reasons also discusses MAPW’s submission.

• MAPW - Submission to ARPANSA June 2017
  
  
  MAPW - Submission to ARPANSA June 2017
  
   

On Monday 26 February 2018 a report by the CEO of ARPANSA, Dr Carl-Magnus Larsson, was tabled in Parliament addressing the radiation exposure of a worker at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) Health radiopharmaceuticals production facility at Lucas Heights.

The report provides an overview of an accident that led to the contamination of a worker at ANSTO Health on 22 August 2017. The accident occurred during a routine quality control procedure and caused radiation exposure of the analyst’s hands. Tissue reactions that subsequently developed on the worker’s hands are compatible with a radiation dose about 40 times higher than the statutory annual equivalent dose limit to the skin.

ARPANSA classified the exposure as a ‘serious incident’ corresponding to Level 3 on the International Radiological and Nuclear Event Scale (INES). The INES scale ranges from zero (with no safety significance) to 7 (major accident).

Dr Larsson found ANSTO in breach of section 30(2) of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Act 1998 for failing to comply with the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Regulations 1999, specifically regulation 46 (in relation to measures to prevent accidents) and regulation 48 (in relation to dose limits). Further regulatory enforcement actions may still be considered.

ARPANSA has requested ANSTO to implement changes to internal processes to prevent a similar event reoccurring. ARPANSA is monitoring ANSTO’s implementation of these changes and has shared information on the event with Comcare.

The report was tabled in Parliament on Monday 26 February 2018, and can also be found below.

Report to parliament: Radiation exposure of a worker at ANSTO Health, Lucas Heights on 22 August 2017

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas, which has no smell, colour or taste. It comes from the radioactive decay of radium, which is present in small amounts in rocks and soil. As a gas, radon can easily escape from the ground into the air where it can be inhaled.

The inhalation of radon and its progeny is recognised as a cause of lung cancer. However tobacco smoking is the main cause of lung cancer both globally and in Australia.

The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) have re-evaluated how they estimate lung cancer risk for exposure to radon progeny and doubled its estimate of risk from exposure.

Following the ICRP’s re-evaluation, we have published an advisory note on the new dose coefficients for radon progeny to guide you through what has changed.

You can find the ARPANSA Advisory Note – New dose coefficients for radon progeny: impact on workers and the public on our Radon webpage.

Studies carried out in Australia indicate that doses assessed from inhalation of radon progeny for workers in the uranium mining industry and in show caves will increase by a factor of two or more from current assessments with the new dose coefficients. These studies indicate that the default values of new ICRP dose coefficients would be suitable for regulatory and radiation protection purposes in Australian underground mines and show caves.

Surveys have shown that radon levels in Australian homes are low. The overall risk for lung cancer from radon in the Australian population is very small. However, there is evidence that smoking leads to a strong enhancement of the radon-related lung cancer risk. The best way of reducing the total lung cancer risk, as well as the lung cancer risk from exposure to radon, is to avoid tobacco smoking.

In 2017, we published the Guide for Radiation Protection in Existing Exposure Situations which includes guidance for managing exposure to radon in homes and workplaces. 

If you are interested in finding out more about the radon concentration levels in your home you can order one of our radon monitors or find your location on our radon map.

We have a commitment to good regulatory practice, so each year we self-assess our performance as a regulator. We’re doing better every year. You can now read our self-assessment for the last financial year, 2016-17.

Part of our business is to regulate the safety and security of radiation sources, facilities and nuclear installations, owned or operated by Commonwealth entities. So it’s important we also conduct a yearly review of how we are doing as a regulator.
This was the second formal assessment of ARPANSA against an agreed, common set of performance measures outlined in the Government Regulator Performance Framework.
In the self-assessment, we performed ‘very good’ for all performance indicators, apart from one ‘good’ rating. These ratings were an improvement on the 2015-16 assessment.
Highlights included:
• Good communication with the entities we assess
• Risks are well managed
• We are open and transparent in our dealings
• We contribute to the continuous improvement of regulator frameworks.
To read the 2016-17 self-assessment in more detail visit our Regulator Performance Framework page.

We are hiring for the position of Chief Regulatory Officer and Head of Regulatory Services Branch.

The Chief Regulatory Officer and Branch Head, Regulatory Services is responsible for setting and maintaining professional standards for the branch and for aligning the branch business plan with ARPANSA’s Policy for ARPANSA’s Regulatory Activities and Corporate Plan.

The occupant of the role will be directly responsible for ARPANSA’s actions in the areas of facility safety (including nuclear installations), source safety and security, safety systems, and the national uniformity program. The occupant will establish and sustain strong collaborative arrangements with other branches and offices within ARPANSA. The occupant will also establish productive relationships with licensees and other stakeholders, including the public and relevant bodies in relation to licensing of major facilities.

The Regulatory Services Branch is the driver for maintaining and enhancing a radiation protection, and nuclear safety and security, regulatory framework for Commonwealth entities using or producing radiation, guided by national policies and international best practice. It is also a key driver for establishing a national regulatory framework across all jurisdictions, in collaboration with state and territory regulators.

Activities of the Regulatory Services Branch include regulatory assessment and review, licensing, compliance, inspection, enforcement, advice and information. It also issues import and export permits for radioactive material, and supports the role of ARPANSA during nuclear and radiological incidents and emergencies. The Branch maintains the Australian Radiation Incident Register, and enhances its outreach through establishing whole of Australian Government relationships and through the facilitation of the Nuclear Safety and the Radiation Health Committees.

If you think you might be interested, or want to find out more about the position, don't hesitate to contact us on 03 9433 2298.

The full position description and application instructions can be found on our Careers page.

Our ultraviolet (UV) radiation charts help you find out what the UV index is at our measurement sites and what time the UV index will be at its highest.

The UV monitoring network was upgraded earlier this year to give you a more reliable service and provide a network that is capable of being expanded in the future.

In our latest update we have improved the functionality of our charts to improve loading times, and to allow you to save a default location.

Selecting ‘Make this my location’ saves the current location so that when you return to our website you will see your preferred chart location.

The 'Make this my location' feature uses cookies that are saved to your device. Select 'Clear my location' if you would like to clear your default location. The cookie will be deleted from your device when you select 'Clear my location'.

Depending on your browser you may need to refresh you cache for the upgrade to take effect.

We are always improving our services to deliver a high quality user experience. If you would like to provide feedback you can contact us.