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Herald Reporter

The media has an important role to play in highlighting issues surrounding nuclear and radiation technology by raising awareness around radiation protection and safety.

Speaking to media during a radiation safety awareness training today,  RPAZ chief executive Mr Justice Chipuru said the training would build capacity among journalists to be able to understand the positive and negative effects of radiation.

Radiation technology is applied in various areas in the industrial, mining, agriculture and medical sectors.

“The use of radiation in the mentioned sectors has aided socioeconomic developments resulting in improvements in healthcare, security, industrial process automation and farming yields, just to mention a few,” he said.

“As part of NDS1 implementation, the Authority contributes to Health and Wellness cluster with the objective of ensuring improved health and wellness.”

He said the authority was however concerned with ensuring that people and the environment were protected from the harmful effects of radiation.

Radiation can cause cancer hence the need to create awareness.

Mr Chipuru said the training for reporters would enhance their knowledge and enable them to report from an informed point of view.

“Above all, this programme will help demystify issues around nuclear technologies, with a focus on peaceful uses.  It is my hope, that after this training, you would have gotten an appreciation of radiation application technologies,  associated risks, principles of protection and the efforts the Authority continues to put in place to ensure the safety of people and the environment,”  he said.

There have been a lot of developments in the recent past such as the Fukushima accident, the ongoing war in Ukraine and the narrative around the nuclear power stations including Chernobyl and growing interest in nuclear power in Africa.