| ARPANSA

Rehabilitation of Australian nuclear test site features in international guide

25 July 2024

Rehabilitation of the historical nuclear test site at Maralinga, South Australia is being featured in a report on radiation protection in areas contaminated by past radiation incidents.

The British Government conducted nuclear weapons tests at 3 locations in Australia in the 1950s and 60s.

ARPANSA’s Assistant Director Health Physics Measurements Dr Stephen Long gave a presentation to over 700 people last month about the Maralinga case study.

Dr Long says the successful rehabilitation of Maralinga is an excellent example and will be included in the International Commission on Radiological Protection’s (ICRP) new publication Radiological Protection in Areas Contaminated by Past Activities.

‘The efforts the Australian Government has made in collaboration with the Maralinga Tjarutja Traditional Owners to remediate the site alongside the community is a case study in international best practice,’ Dr Long said.

‘Many international organisations are looking at ARPANSA’s rehabilitation efforts at Maralinga as the gold standard for remediation of radiologically contaminated areas due to the substantial involvement of the Traditional Owners in driving the outcome.’

Between 1952 and 1963, 12 atomic detonations of nuclear devices occurred across Southern and Western Australia in areas including Maralinga and the Montebello Islands.

The Australian Government’s efforts to remediate the site began in 1995. The site was handed back to Traditional Owners in 2009.

‘We continue to undertake environmental radiation monitoring every three years,’ Dr Long said.

‘We want the Maralinga Tjarutja peoples to feel confident to live on and fully engage with the land. Our team, working with Maralinga Tjarutja, the Department of Industry, Science and Resources and the South Australian Government, is committed to building the trust and knowledge to enable this to happen.’   

As the Australian Government’s primary radiation protection authority, we work with leading international authorities like the ICRP whose radiation protection principles and exposure limits form the basis for our national regulations governing the exposure of radiation workers and the general public.

The ICRP’s draft report, Radiological Protection in Areas Contaminated by Past Activities, is available for public consultation until September 20, 2024, before it is published: https://icrp.org/consultation.asp?id=830FF4FB-8446-42DF-98AD-85DFAA3B11B2

A recording of Dr Long’s presentation can be accessed here.

New data shows occupational exposure to radiation is well below safety limit

4 July 2024

Australian dose records from 2021 - 2022 show that occupational exposure to ionising radiation is well below the safety limit.

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) maintains the Australian National Radiation Dose Register (ANRDR), which houses data from uranium mining, workers at Commonwealth entities and some medical facilities.

The ANRDR monitors occupational radiation exposures nationally to ensure workers in these sectors are receiving below the 20 mSv annual limit.

ARPANSA’s Public and Occupational Exposures Assistant Director, Cameron Lawrence, leads the ANRDR, which compiles annual reports on occupational exposure.

‘We recently audited and reconciled our 2021-2022 annual report following new dose records from our licensees such as ANSTO, as well as from the uranium industry and other workplaces that use or produce radiation like veterinary clinics,’ Dr Lawrence said.

‘In 2021, 87% of workers received a dose of less than 1 mSv and approximately 99% received a dose less than 3 mSv.

‘The data was similar in 2022. Approximately 79% of workers received a dose less than 1 mSv and approximately 99% received a dose less than 3 mSv.

‘This data helps us monitor individual doses so that we can ensure people are safe throughout their career, even when they change employer.’

The ANRDR holds dose records for more than 60,000 individuals, primarily from the uranium industry.

The updated summary of the 2021 – 2022 dose records is available on our website: https://www.arpansa.gov.au/our-services/monitoring/australian-national-radiation-dose-register/publications/anrdr-review-20212022

The 2021 - 2022 records were updated in June 2024, with summary data for 2023 expected to be published later this year.

ARPANSA is the regulator of Commonwealth entities that use or produce radiation and works with state and territory regulators and industry to protect workers, communities and the environment.

Calling cosmetic providers to participate in health study

18 June 2024

ARPANSA and Monash University are seeking service providers to facilitate participant recruitment for a study on health impacts of non-ionising radiation cosmetic treatments, such as laser hair removal.

ARPANSA’s Health Impact Assessment Assistant Director Ken Karipidis and researchers from Monash University are supervising the study, which will gather data on cosmetic procedures.

The data collected will be used to understand if greater regulation is required for certain types of cosmetic procedures across Australia.

A/Prof Karipidis says that only Tasmania, Queensland and Western Australia have regulatory controls in place for cosmetic use of non-ionising radiation, although this is limited to certain light-based cosmetic applications like laser and intense pulsed light (IPL).

‘As the Australian Government’s primary authority on radiation protection, we want to ensure that appropriate measures are in place to keep people safe when undergoing cosmetic procedures that involve the use of non-ionising radiation,’ A/Prof Karipidis said.

The researchers are aiming to recruit businesses and service providers to help them identify individuals at their cosmetic clinics who they can survey as they receive treatments.

With the survey data, PhD student Zoe Thomas will investigate the types of adverse effects that can occur, how frequently they occur, and in what circumstances.

‘As well as helping us understand the rate and type of injuries occurring, this study may also help to improve safety standards across the industry and provide greater assurance to potential clients,’ she said.

To learn more about participating in this study please read the explanatory statement and complete the expression of interest form: https://monashred.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9YMMM7CUv1647ie

ARPANSA welcomes IAEA mission report

14 June 2024

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has acknowledged Australia’s commitment to nuclear safety in a report published June 2024.

The report outlines the findings of the October 2023 IAEA Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) follow-up mission to Australia. The mission reviewed progress in national, legal and governmental frameworks for nuclear and radiation safety since the 2018 IRRS mission.

ARPANSA Chief Executive Officer Dr Gillian Hirth AO welcomed the report, which found ARPANSA had addressed all previous recommendations for the agency. The IAEA also highlighted two areas of ‘good practice’ by ARPANSA, which it considers go above international best practice.

‘With the changing nuclear landscape it’s now even more important than ever that Australia has consistent and comprehensive regulation to protect people and the environment from any harmful effects of radiation,’ Dr Hirth AO said.

‘As the Australian Government’s primary authority on radiation protection, we promote consistent radiation protection for all Australians and comprehensive review of regulatory frameworks plays a critical role in delivering this vision.’

An IRRS mission is a valuable regulatory benchmarking exercise involving peer review by overseas experts against IAEA Safety Standards.

The IRRS team comprised seven international experts and three IAEA staff members, who worked together to review relevant reference material and interview ARPANSA, the Australian Radioactive Waste Agency and State and Territory regulatory bodies.

The report noted that substantial progress had been made in response to the 2018 IRRS mission findings across all Australian Government and State and Territory participants. Out of the 23 recommendations and 12 suggestions from 2018, 16 recommendations and 10 suggestions have been successfully addressed and closed.

The report was presented to the Australian Government and is now published on the ARPANSA website.

ARPANSA CEO receives King’s Birthday honours

12 June 2024

Congratulations to ARPANSA CEO Dr Gillian Hirth AO who was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia on Monday 10 June 2024.

Dr Hirth AO was honoured for her ‘distinguished service to environmental science, particularly radiation and nuclear safety, and to the development of national and international regulatory standards’ as part of the King’s Birthday 2024 Honours List.

Appointed CEO of ARPANSA in 2022, Dr Hirth AO is an internationally renowned expert in radiation protection and nuclear safety with broad experience in environmental management, nuclear materials, occupational exposure and radioactive waste.

‘It is an absolute honour to receive this recognition of my work in an area I am so passionate about’, said Dr Hirth AO.

‘ARPANSA has a critical role to play in ensuring a safe radiation environment for Australia and protecting workers, patients and communities.’

‘I am proud to be delivering on this purpose and ensuring international best practice is embedded into everything we do.’

Dr Hirth AO was one of 15 appointments as Officer of the Order of Australia in the General Division, among a total of 737 Australians recognised as part of the King’s Birthday Honours List for 2024.

In addition to her work as an international leader in radiation protection and nuclear safety, Dr Hirth AO is also a mentor and advocate for women in nuclear and has a strong commitment to supporting the next generation of nuclear professionals.

‘It is a privilege to play a role in the development of the next generation of scientists and regulators as we work to maintain strong protections for the Australian people and our unique environment’, Dr Hirth reflected.

Minister for Health and Aged Care the Hon Ged Kearney MP welcomed this announcement.

‘I am delighted to see Dr Hirth AO receive this honour,’ Hon Kearney MP said.

‘Dr Hirth’s award is recognition not only of her experience and eminence in the fields of radiation and nuclear safety, but also of her calibre as a leader. Dr Hirth is as significantly regarded by the international scientific community as she is here in Australia, and I commend her dedication to protecting people and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation.’

About Dr Gillian Hirth AO
Dr Gillian Hirth AO was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of ARPANSA in March 2022.

Dr Hirth AO completed a PhD in environmental radiochemistry in 1999 and was a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation before joining the Australian Defence Organisation.

In 2010, Dr Hirth AO commenced working at ARPANSA, developing codes and standard, investigating radionuclide activity concentration ratios in wildlife and fulfilling a series of leadership roles including Head of the Radiation Health Services Branch (from 2016).

Dr Hirth AO is the current Australian Representative to the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) and was Chair of UNSCEAR for the 66th, 67th and 68th sessions (2019-2022).

Dr Hirth AO is the current Australian representative on the Commission on Safety Standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the 8th term (2024 to 2027), having first been appointed in 2020, and was the Australian representative on the IAEA's Emergency Preparedness and Response Safety Standards Committee from 2015 to 2017. Dr Hirth AO is member of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) Main Commission for the term 2021-2025 and a member of the Board of Council of the International Union of Radioecology.

Study shows lower doses to reproductive organs from 5G technologies

Review date

4 June 2024

Article publication date

6 May 2024

Summary

This study conducted computer simulations comparing the specific absorption rate (SAR) of radiofrequency electromagnetic energy (RF-EME) at the male reproductive system from different mobile telecommunication frequencies. The study explored frequencies between 0.69 GHz and 4.9 GHz. The primary benefit of computing SAR instead of considering incident power density (S_inc) is that it allows for more accurate comparison between exposures from electromagnetic fields of different frequencies. The study also performed calculations for exposure scenarios in three postures (standing, sitting and sleeping).

While maintaining an equal level of exposure across frequencies, the calculations showed that a higher frequency resulted in lower SAR at the reproductive system. Both a sitting and sleeping posture resulted in less exposure than a standing posture. When calculations were repeated for incident power densities at the exposure limits prescribed in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) guidelines the corresponding SAR values for each frequency band were highest at 2.2 GHz and decreased at higher or lower frequency bands. The same relationship between dose and posture was observed for exposures at the limit.

Link to

Absorption of 5G sub-6 GHz electromagnetic radiation from base station to male reproduction system

Published in

International Journal of Radiation Biology

ARPANSA commentary

There is a growing volume of longitudinal studies (e.g. Ramirez-Vazquez et al., 2023; Markussen et al., 2022; Iakovidis et al., 2022), including those published by ARPANSA (Bhatt et al., 2024), showing that public exposures to RF-EME have remained largely the same throughout the introduction of new communication technologies despite an overwhelming increase in the total usage of wireless telecommunication infrastructure by the public. The conclusions of this study provide similar reassurance by indicating that exposures to higher frequency RF-EME, like those used in newer communication technologies, contribute less SAR than an equivalent exposure from a lower frequency band.

The calculations at exposure limits in this study were performed according to exposure limit guidance prepared by the IEEE. These guidelines, while similar to those in the Australian standard RPS-S1, are slightly less restrictive. The Australian standard is based on guidelines by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), which are considered international best practice. More information on these differences can be found in a previous radiation literature survey. Notably, the study demonstrated the suitability of using power density limits (termed reference levels) which are easier to quantify for complying with SAR limits (termed basic restrictions) which are more difficult to quantify.

Australia contributes to key UN radiation exposure reports

4 June 2024

Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency experts contributed to two reports on radiation exposure and health effects that were approved by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR).

A report on cancer risks following radiotherapy, and a report on the public’s exposure to ionising radiation were endorsed at UNSCEAR’s annual meeting in Vienna in May.

ARPANSA’s Public and Occupational Exposures Assistant Director, Cameron Lawrence, was one of the lead writers.

He says that the committee's report found that between 2007 and 2022 the primary contributor to the worldwide average annual effective dose continues to be natural sources.

‘Specifically, the inhalation of radon, thoron, and their decay products remain as the major contributors of human exposure,’ Dr Lawrence said.

‘With the exception of medical exposure, exposure from other artificial sources, such as the nuclear fuel cycle, global fallout, consumer products and legacy sites are minor.

‘Overall, the estimate of average annual exposure has increased but this is simply due to an improvement in the datasets used. The estimated range of global exposure remains the same as the last UNSCEAR report on public exposure.’

Regarding the report on radiotherapy, ARPANSA’s Chief Medical Radiation Scientist Ivan Williams says the report found that the risk of developing a second primary cancer due to radiotherapy is very low.

‘The reports significantly influence international and national debate regarding safe and accurate radiation use, and the current understanding around radiation protection,’ Dr Williams said.

‘It is crucial for cancer patients not to hesitate in pursuing radiotherapy treatment, given its significant benefits,’ he said.

As the Australian Government’s primary authority on radiation protection, ARPANSA supports international scientific collaboration for the benefit of people and the environment.

Review finds radio waves from mobile phones do not affect cognition

31 May 2024

A World Health Organization (WHO) commissioned systematic review finds that radio wave exposure from mobile phones does not affect learning, memory, attention span and other cognitive functions like coordination.

Co-led by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency’s (ARPANSA) Health Impact Assessment Assistant Director, Associate Professor Ken Karipidis, the review addresses a long-held community concern.

‘One of the motivations for this research was to assess effects on the brain because mobile phones are usually held close to the head during calls,’ A/Prof Karipidis said.

‘One of the challenges of studying the effects of mobile phones on health is that it’s hard to separate radiation exposure from behavioural effects from social media and gaming on our cognition.

‘Overall, this systematic review found that radio wave exposure from mobile phones does not affect cognition.’

The WHO systematic review was a collaboration between ARPANSA and Monash University. ARPANSA’s Dr Chris Brzozek and Dr Masoumeh Sanagou also contributed to the study.

This review identified 3945 papers for consideration but only 5 studies were found to have appropriate methods and were included in the final analysis. The authors acknowledge that more high-quality research is needed to address all types of populations, radio wave exposures, and cognitive outcomes, particularly studies investigating environmental and occupational exposure in adults.

The WHO commissioned a series of systematic reviews in 2019 to help them undertake an updated health risk assessment of radio wave exposure. These reviews will be used to help inform a new Environmental Health Criterion monograph on radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF).

ARPANSA is supporting the systematic reviews and the development of the monograph.

You can access this systematic review online at Environment International.

Shaping the future of nuclear security

31 May 2024

Australia joined with Kazakhstan to co-host last week’s International Conference on Nuclear Security (ICONS) in Vienna.

Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) CEO, Dr Gillian Hirth, says ICONS is the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) key event for sharing best practice across the global nuclear security community.

‘The IAEA’s efforts in bringing together its member states every four years provides a crucial opportunity to discuss and exchange information on nuclear security,’ Dr Hirth said.

At ICONS 2024, ARPANSA joined with the Australian Safeguards and Non-proliferation Office (ASNO) and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) to host a session sharing insights into national collaborative approaches.

Australia’s continued support and engagement with the Asia Pacific to strengthen regional nuclear safety and security, and aspirations for the global future of nuclear security were key topics of discussion.

Dr Hirth also participated in a panel discussion, moderated by ARPANSA’s Senior Regulatory Officer on Nuclear and Radiological Security, Julie Murray, on shaping the future of nuclear security from a gender equality perspective.

‘Australia is a strong advocate for gender parity; an important topic that I have a deep commitment to nurturing,’ Dr Hirth said.

‘It was a pleasure to be able to share insights and highlight female technical experts and leaders who are making vital contributions to nuclear security.’

‘It is fundamental that we continue our work in advancing opportunities for women, particularly in leadership, as they are recognised key drivers in shaping our nuclear security future.’

‘ARPANSA continues to work closely with its Australian Government counterparts and the IAEA to promote national and international best practice to support nuclear security in our region and more broadly,’ Dr Hirth said.

The event was also an opportunity to establish ongoing connections with international counterparts, including a new cooperation agreement with the Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS) from the Netherlands.

ICONS 2024 was held at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna from 20 to 24 May 2024.

More research needed on airborne ultrasound health effects

21 May 2024

Airborne ultrasound exposure guidelines from 1984 are being revisited by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) due to their use in emerging technology.

Airborne ultrasound is increasingly being used in virtual reality technology to create the experience of touch. Airborne ultrasound consists of inaudible sound waves that travel through air and are mostly produced in heavy industry, for example drilling, and in commercial products like burglar alarms.

Extremely high levels of airborne ultrasound can cause ear damage, and excessive body heating that can lead to pain and burns.

ICNIRP Vice-Chair elect and Health Impact Assessment Assistant Director at the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), Associate Professor Ken Karipidis, led the review and says the current guidelines are based on limited research and further studies are needed.

‘Based on the available research, the exposure limits set in the existing guidelines are still applicable today,' A/Prof Karipidis said.

‘However, when we assessed the evidence that has been published since 1984, we found there are significant data gaps that need to be addressed before ICNIRP can publish updated exposure guidelines.

‘In particular, we'd like to know more about other health effects like effects on cognitive function and behaviour and non-specific symptoms such as headaches and fatigue.

‘This is particularly relevant given the expanded use of airborne ultrasound within the wider community.

‘The effect of ultrasound on the human ear can vary according to age so it is also important for future research to determine the distribution of exposure levels where hearing damage can occur across the population.'

As Australia’s primary radiation protection authority, ARPANSA works with leading international health authorities like ICNIRP to develop guidelines to protect the public and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation.

The full paper can be accessed here.

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