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ABU DHABI / WAM
The Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) held a workshop on Monday to review progress towards establishing a present-day measurement of environmental radiation in the UAE.
The 6th UAE National Workshop on “Baseline Environmental Radiation Mapping in the UAE”, was held at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi and was attended by representatives of the UAE agencies, including the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority and Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research.
FANR officials updated workshop participants on FANR’s progress in establishing a baseline set of radiation measurements from air, soil, water, and food samples around the nation, including from the vicinity of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, now under construction in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi. The measurements will be presented and summarised in a baseline report next year that will be available to the public and will be updated annually.
“FANR is committed to protecting the UAE’s residents and environment from unnecessary exposure to radiation as a result of using radiation sources in different activities,” said Aayda Al Shehhi, Director of FANR’s Radiation Safety Department. “Part of this mission is to be transparent with collaborating government agencies and with the public so that all can understand the environmental conditions in the UAE.”
Radioactive materials exist in the UAE’s natural environment, and the radiation they emit can be easily and accurately measured. By measuring the current, natural radiation levels around the UAE, FANR is collecting the information it needs to accurately assess an unlikely and unplanned release of radiation in the future. The first report, and its subsequent updates, will also help FANR comply with the UAE’s Nuclear Law, which calls upon the regulatory authority to cooperate with relevant government entities on radiation protection issues.
Currently, FANR makes regular radiation measurements from a network of 12 land-based gamma radiation monitoring stations, from seawater samples taken from the Arabian Gulf, and from soil and food samples as well. To enhance collaboration among national agencies, today’s workshop also held technical discussions on the methodologies needed to conduct reliable and consistent radiation measurements.