INSIDETECHNICAL CO-OPERATIONInternational Atomic Energy Agency

March 1997 Vol. 3, No. 1

N D T . A n indispensableNDT: An indispensable . . . . 1 t /• • i

Brazil turns beam 1 tOOl f Or

Argentina irradiates urban .2 , *r ^ i u J u° Cameroon s National Hydrocarbon

New aids to cure old ills . . . 3 Corporation (NHC) is involved. . with a consortium of internation-

The industrious atom 5 aJ o i l c o m p a n i e s i n a u s $ 2 billionNDT entrepreneurs 5 project to build 1,060 kilometres

of pipeline to carry oil from ChadRadiation adds 6 t o n o r t h e m Cameroon. An essen-In brief 7 ^a^ Par* °^ *ne ProJect is quality

control of pipe segments andPrivate sector adopting 8 welds, as well as fittings, pumps,

valves, and other componentsduring construction. Theirintegrity has to be maintainedthroughout the pipeline's opera-tional life, for safety, efficiencyand environmental protection.

Project Counterpart, Jean Kilama (second from right), and his technical staff discuss thesiting of the new NDT facility in Cameroon with IAEA officials. Credit: A. Boussaha/IAEA

Non-destructive testing (NDT)techniques are vital to providingthe high level of quality assurancerequired for such industrial activ-ities. Until recently, Cameroon'sparticipation in the operation —and therefore its benefit inemployment and income — hasbeen limited because it lacksNDT capability and operators ofits own. An IAEA technical co-operation Model Projectlaunched this year aims to helpCameroon develop its NDT capa-bilities for quality control inindustry and, specifically, toestablish NDT centres that couldparticipate in the implementationof certain services needed for thepipeline.

continued on page 4

Brazil turns beam on chemical effluents...Hoechst do Brazil is one of thelargest chemical and pharmaceu-tical manufacturers in the region,and its operations create complexstreams of waste. Even after in-plant processing to make themacceptable for conventionalsewage treatment, some residues

need to be impounded for longperiods or interred in engineeredtombs. So the charges for treat-ment and disposal are invariablyhigh. Hoechst do Brasil currentlypays over US$10 million bi-annu-ally to the sanitation company ofSao Paulo State (SABESP) to dis-

charge liquid effluent from justone production site.

Hoechst's waste is in many waysrepresentative of waste from largeindustrial activities generally. Faced

continued on page 2

Brazil turns beam on chemical effluents...(from page 1)

SABESP technician conducting test* on

Chemical effluents. Credit: S. Ratnasabapathy

with increasing treatment problemsfrom rapid industrialization, Brazilis looking for new solutions. ItsInstitute for Nuclear Energy andResearch (IPEN) recently did pre-liminary treatment tests on Hoechsteffluents using an electron beam onthe scale of a small pilot plant. Thestream contained low molecularweight aromatic and chlorinatedhydrocarbons, phenols, as well as

dyes and other complex organiccompounds partly unaffected bythe conventional biological treat-ment methods used by SABESP.The results for various stream com-ponents ranged from modest butpromising to encouraging, even atthe relatively low doses delivered(5-20 kGray).

The IAEA is supporting this effortthrough a technical co-operationModel Project launched in 1997 toraise the level of research and eval-uate the potential of electron-beamtreatment of complex industrialwastes on a commercial scale.Under it Hoechst do Brasil, andIPEN are jointly involved in fund-ing and implementing three princi-pal activities: upgrading the pilotplant; introducing procedures tobetter characterize the irradiatedwaste; and optimizing operatingconditions to produce effluents that

meet both national and internation-al standards. In this project SABESPand IPEN are also working on thedisinfection of urban sludges anddomestic effluents. The IAEA willhelp upgrade the effluent character-ization lab and, because post-irradi-ation toxicological studies are a cru-cial element of the project, help withboth radiation and chemical hazardmonitoring and protection.

The experimental results willhelp to assess the economic feasi-bility of treating the waste on anindustrial scale. The project isdesigned to produce reliable dataon engineering, performance, andcosts so that the cost-benefit ratioof electron-beam treatment can beproperly assessed. If the figuresshow it is conducive to commer-cialization, the process couldspread beyond Hoechst and alsobeyond Brazil.

...Argentina irradiates urban sludge

Sewage sludge irradiation plant in Tucuinan,

Credit: CNEA

A major waste problem afflictinglarge cities worldwide is disposalof sewage sludge; the lumpysemi-solid stuff left after liquidwaste carried by urban sewers istreated. One widely adopted"solution" is to dump it in thesea. But this not an option every-where. Tucuman, for instance,Argentina's sixth biggest city(population: 400,000), lies farinland in a high valley in thenortheast. The Andes are on itseast side, while the Atlantic oceanon its west is more than 1,000kilometres away.

What can be donewith the nearly 90,000tonnes of sludge thecity sewage treatmentplant's anaerobicdigestors produceeach year? The citybudget cannot affordincineration. Burial isa health hazardbecause the valley is

3 sheltered by moun-Argcntina tains and has a warm

climate, conditionsconducive to the

spread of diseases. There is alreadya high incidence of cholera, diar-rhoea and hepatitis. The currentsolution is clearly unsatisfacory:dumping it in the Sali River, whichgoes dry in the winter when itfreezes in the mountains.

Utilising the expertise of a maturenuclear industry, Argentina optedto address the problem by irradi-ating Tucuman's sludge. TheAtomic Energy Commission(CNEA) adapted a German-design gamma irradiator to localrequirements, and will also make

available the cobalt-60 sourcesrequired to produce the radioac-tive charge required to treat up to180 cubic metres of sludge perday. So the world's first irradiationplant dedicated to decontaminat-ing urban sludge on a commercialscale now stands next to the citysewage depuration plant. It willcome into operation later this year.

Irradiation technology for sludgehas been well tested. Pilot scaleplants were operational inGermany, Japan and the UnitedStates for many years and clearlydemonstrated the feasibility. Butless costly technologies wereavailable. As long as theseworked adequately and economi-cally, sewage firms and munici-palities were unlikely to invest inirradiation. But when new plantsand extensions to old sludge dis-posal systems are needed, irradi-ation can be an option, particular-ly if a profitable use can be foundfor irradiated sludge.

Many rapidly developing coun-tries are studying the option,

mostly still on a laboratory scale.India has been studying variouspossibilities in a demonstration-size plant for the past sevenyears. In most countries, growthof industries around urban cen-tres has complicated the econom-ics. Irradiation has no effect onindustrial wastes such as heavymetals, which makes post-irradi-ation sludge unsuitable for usessuch as agriculture.

Conversely, one principal reasonfor selecting the irradiation routein Tucuman was that there is prac-tically no industry near the cityand plenty of agricultural needs.So experiments began in 1996,soon after the plant was construct-ed, to work out the best regimes touse irradiated sludge as fertilizer

Argentine scientist, Cecilia Magnavacca,measures sugarcane yield in a field fertil-ized with irradiated sludge.Credit: CNEA

and soil-amendment material.Both are in demand in this pre-dominantly agricultural zone,where many areas have soils that

are nutrient depleted and sufferfrom erosion and compartment.

Argentine scientists have takenpart in FAO/IAEA Co-ordinatedResearch Programmes (CRPs) onradiation treatment and safe re-utilization of sludges. Moreover, anew three-year TC project wasinitiated in 1997 to assist theTucuman experiments by provid-ing experts, equipment and train-ing in nutrient evaluation of theparticular post-irradiation sludgesand their agricultural value. In theshort term, the project will benefitfarmers by allowing them toreplace chemical fertilizers withirradiated sludge. Over the longerterm, degraded lands could berecovered and sanitary conditionsin the zone should improve.

Prof. JanuszRosiak

New aids to cure old illsResearch anddevelopment touse radiation tosynthesize andbond togethervarious materialsfor biomedicalapplications hasbeen going onsince the 1970s.

Some of these so called "biomateri-als" are now widely used medically,mostly to treat burns and otherwounds, and already on the hospi-tal doorstep are derivative devicesthat can be implanted in patients'bodies to treat a variety of ailmentsand conditions. Radiation hasopened the way to producing suchmaterials. It is able to synthesize,mold, fabricate and sterilize them ina single operation, at any tempera-ture and pressure, in viscous, solidand heterogeneous forms, and incomplex phases at various doses.

The Institute of Applied RadiationChemistry at Poland's TechnicalUniversity in Lodz is one of several

Further information on hydrogeldressings can be obtained athttp://wwiv.gwc. net.pl./kikgel.Prof. Rosiak can be contacted via e-mail at rosiakjm@mitr.p.lodz.pl.

centres particularly active in recentyears in developing a variety ofnew biomaterials, generally calledhydrogels. Many products are inadvanced stages of developmentand trials. A few have passed all theclinical tests and been approved bya number of national authorities,including the U.S. Food and DrugAdministration (FDA).

The 'Rosiak-method' for hydrogeldressings was developed by theLodz group led by Prof. JanuszRosiak. It won the gold medal in1993 at the Brussels Eureka WorldExhibition of Invention, Researchand Industrial Innovation. TwoLodz hydrogels, one for dressingbedsores, burns and other woundsand skin grafts; the other for inter-nal controlled release ofprostaglandins to treat ulcers — areon the market in the CzechRepublic, Germany, Hungary, andSlovakia.

"Though we patented technologyonly in developed countries likeGermany, the UK and the USA, ithas been transferred within thetramework of IAEA expert mis-sions and projects to developingcountries like Brazil, China,Indonesia and Malaysia", saysRosiak who collaborates closelywith the Agency. Hydrogel dress-

ings prevent bacterial invasionfrom outside, while being perme-able to drugs such as antimicrobialsand allowing gases and watervapour to escape from the woundsite. The material adheres well tothe wounds and normal skin but,unlike stitches, can be removedpainlessly. Lodz has other productsat an advanced stage, including anartificial pancreas (the gland whichproduces insulin), grafts for bloodand other vascular vessels, eyeinserts to slowly release the alka-loid pilocarpine against glaucoma,and materials for dental surgery.

Hydrogel applications being demonstratedin Brussels. Credits: KiK-GEL

NDT: An indispensable tool for industry (from page 1)

No major advanced industrialactivity is conceivable withoutNDT techniques today. And it isan indispensable item inmaintaining industrial safety.Reconstruction of the pipelinesystem in war-shattered Sarajevo,for example, which is funded by a$20 million World Bank creditand $60 million via bilateralarrangements, would be impossi-ble using the old destructive test-ing methods. IAEA technical co-operation has just started aModel Project here too, toincrease and upgrade nationalNDT capability.

Modern NDT techniques beganwith radiographic testing shortlyafter the discovery of X-rays in1895. It developed rapidly, forquality control of arms and othermilitary products, during theSecond World War. Research anddevelopment in the 1950s waslargely sponsored by thenuclear and aerospace indus-tries in their search for newinspection technologies toensure safety via the quality andreliability of critical components.

The five most widely appliedtechniques are dye penetrant,

eddy current, magnetic particle,radiographic (still the most popu-lar), and ultrasonic testing. Nocountry aspiring to enter theglobal industrial market can dowithout these.

Most everyday industrial productsare immensely complex, made upof numerous components weldedand assembled. The average auto-mobile includes some 2.5 kilome-ters of wiring and 100 criticalwelds. To be safe and reliable,products and factories alikedepend on each and every partfunctioning properly for at least itsminimum design life, and qualitycontrol of components begins withdetecting and correcting defectsand imperfections in the materialsof which they are made.

To be competitive, manufacturersmust turn out products that aresafe and reliable. They must alsokeep production costs down andcannot afford factory shutdownsor overuse expensive materials.Only NDT techniques can do theprecision checks and measure-ments plant operators require,on both plant and products,while the manufacturing processis underway.

Levels of NDT certification

The reliability of any NDT testdepends on the abilities of thoseresponsible for performing it.The IAEA qualification and certi-fication system, based on nationalprocedures in highly industrial-ized countries, is based on thenew ISO standard, which detailsthree levels of competence.Level 1 - may be authorized to setup equipment, do tests underwritten instructions and super-vised by level 2 or 3, classify(with written approval of a level3) and report the results.Level 2 - may be authorized toperform and direct testingaccording to established or recog-nized procedures.

Level 3 - may be authorized todirect any operation in the (NDT)methods for which certificationhas been received.

Certification is done by a NationalNDT Society which is affiliatedwith the ICNDT. Eligibility forexamination is based on durationof training in each NDT method.Trainees must progress from onelevel to the next and minimumexperience is specified for eachlevel and method. Access to level3 by a certified level 2 operatorcould take 1-4 years, dependingon educational qualifications inscience or engineering prior toNDT training.

Nearly 30 years ago, Argentinaasked the UN DevelopmentProgram (UNDP) for help to setup a national center for non-destructive testing. The simplerequest sparked a very successfulIAEA/TC regional programinvolving 18 countries in LatinAmerica and the Caribbean(LAC). A second programmebased on the same lines, involving13 countries in Asia and the Pacificwas completed in 1996, and athird, for the African region, start-ed in 1991 and has just entered itssecond five-year phase.

Regional and national trainingunder technical co-operation pro-jects is focused on the five maintechniques (noted earlier), withthe primary objective of develop-ing national NDT capacities tomeet a country's immediate andforeseeable needs. This meanshands-on experience with NDTequipment, procedures, stan-dards and techniques; interpret-ing the results of inspections;diagnosing the causes of detecteddefects of fabrication or deteriora-tion of material in service and,where need be, taking remedialactions. To be sustainable, nation-al capability must be establishedto train, examine, license and cer-tify professionals and staff; absorband introduce NDT equipment,procedures, standards and tech-niques from technologicaladvances made worldwide; andto develop new techniques.

The strategy for the IAEA pro-grammes in LAC was to establisha common regional system thatmet international standards. Thestrategy also aims to train largenumbers at lower levels initially,and then to help those morecapable to progress to the toplevel — capable of training, qual-ifying and certifying others. Inthis way the hierarchy needed toprovide professional servicesthroughout the region wouldgradually be put into place.Competence required for certifi-cation at all the three recognizedlevels (see box at left) must

always meet the highest interna-tional standards.

All 18 LAC countries have now setup national NDT societies to over-see and ensure adherence to suchstandards and meet their needs.Most have their own level-3 per-sonnel able to train and certify oth-ers as demand for services increas-es with continued industrializa-tion. Between 1984 and 1994 some22,000 people were trained in theregion, without any project inputbut keeping to IAEA guidelinesand methods set by the project.

Membership in the InternationalCommittee for Non Destructive

Testing (ICNDT) signifies recogni-tion that a country's technical com-petence has reached the top level.At the start of the regional pro-gramme only Argentina and Brazilwere members. In 1989, ICNDTaccepted 11 additional memebers.The LAC regional programme alsoinfluenced the drafting of a stan-dard by the InternationalOrganization of Standardization(ISO) for qualification and certifica-tion of NDT personnel. The train-ing programmes for the main NDTtechniques, elaborated and pub-lished by the IAEA as technicaldocuments (TECDOC-407/628),are a recommended guideline inthe new ISO standard.

NDT entrepreneurs

Sri Lankan mechanical engineerUpul Ekanayake (shown below atright) was trained in the UnitedKingdom in 1982 under an IAEAfellowship and later certified(level-2) in NDT. He gained experi-ence as an NDT inspector in theState Engineering Corporation ofSri Lanka for six years and thenworked with the BahrainInspection Establishment for 30months as an inspection engineer.Back home he started his owncompany, Electro Ref Engineers(ERE), to service air conditioningand refrigeration systems.Employing NDT personnel trainedand certified by The Sri LankaAtomic Energy Authority (SLAEA),ERE was the first private companyin Sri Lanka to introduce NDTtechniques to its client industries.In 1995 the company had aturnover of some 3,000,000 SLrupees from NDT activities alone.Ekanayake says his company isexpanding to meet increasingdemand, and with the help of theSLAEA, plans to train more staff,including himself to improve andextend ERE's services to the pub-lic and private sectors.

A common trend in Asia and LatinAmerica is that both the publicand private sectors now tend tohire NDT services rather than

retain permanent staff and equip-ment of their own. Operators haveresponded by forming companies,such as Ekanayake's ERE, withNDT and other support staff andequipment, to provide the ser-vices. Such use of high-paidexpertise and support staff is aboost for national employment,industrial safety-efficiency and theeconomy as a whole. But the keyrole remains with national NDTlaboratories, such as of SLAEA,that have absorbed the mostadvanced techniques. These cantrain and help to certify traineesand also act as independentarbiter in disputes between ser-vice-providers and their clients.Many national labs are increasing-ly undertaking industry-orientat-ed research in NDT.

fmlil: U. Ekanayake

The ""Industrious"Atom

NDT techniques are critical to qualityand safety in advanced industries.

The most common uses for radi-ation processing are in industry.Major industrial activities fromheavy industries, such as auto-motive, aerospace and railtransportation to electronicsand microchips, employ non-destructive testing (NDT) tech-niques to assure quality controland safety. NDT services rangefrom design studies, sensorsand control systems; to X-rayand gamma ray inspection andmeasurements using tracerssuch as helium and other gases.The photo illustrates a processcalled microfocus X-ray tubeinspection of an aircraft engine.NDT inspectors are specialistscertified to exacting standardsby national/international NDTboards. Other radiationprocesses are used to developnew materials with improvedperformance, reduce spoilage offoods and to mitigate environ-mental pollution.

The role of IAEA Technical Co-operation is to advise itsMember States on develop-ments and new techniques,and to help develop nationalcapabilities to support safe andeffective applications of radia-tion processing. This INSIDETC describes some industrialuses of radiation and the peo-ple that are making qualitymanagement a reality in devel-oping countries.

Radiation adds stretch to latexMalaysia's latest developmentplan (1996-2000) reflects thevision of virtually all the rapidlydeveloping countries of theAsia/Pacific region: industrialize,with emphasis on high technolo-gy, while protecting the naturalenvironment. However, thecountry's rapid industrializationhas already resulted in serious airpollution. Now, with supportfrom IAEA technical co-operationprogrammes, radiation technolo-gies are increasingly beingapplied across a range of indus-tries in Malaysia and otherAsia/Pacific countries to helplessen such pollution.

The conventional process iscalled vulcanization, or cross-linking, and entails heating andadding sulphur or other chemi-cals to form cross-links betweenthe characteristic long chains ofelastomer molecules — as hasbeen done for more than a centu-ry to make rubber tyres. Themore sulphur used, the harderthe product. The vulcanizedproduct withstands higher tem-peratures, pressures, andmechanical challenges to itsintegrity.

But sulphur vulcanization hassignificant human health, envi-ronmental and even economicdrawbacks. It needs high temper-atures to start the chemical reac-tions; it emits smelly and toxicgases; and it produces numerousunwanted chemical residues thathave to be removed from the finalproducts.

One promising radiation applica-tion improves the properties ofelastomeric (stretchable) materialssuch as natural and artificial rub-ber and rubber-like plastics, whichare used in numerous products,from insulated wiring in automo-biles to condoms. Radiation cross-linking is a well-proven methodthat bypasses all these negativeeffects. Rubber, plastics and otherpolymers are cross-linked simplyby exposing the material to high

energy gamma raysfrom a cobalt-60source or highenergy electronbeams. Radiationcross-linking is aroom temperaturetreatment, itself animportant costadvantage; it is eas-ily controlled; andthe desired proper-ties are obtainedsimply by changingthe dose (irradiation time). Thetransformed materials are in noway inferior to those produced bysulphur vulcanization.

IAEA/TC has sponsored a num-ber of national projects to helptransfer such radiation techno-logies to developing countries. Inaddition, a Regional Co-operativeAgreement (RCA) supported bythe UN Development Programme(UNDP), provided internationalexpert visits, workshops, semi-nars, scholarships, training andhands-on experience. The princi-pal objective of these activities hasbeen to promote transfer of thetechniques and know-how fromcounterpart national nuclearresearch institutes (NNRI) to thecommercial industrial sectors.

For the rubber-growing countriesof the RCA group, the radiationcross-linking of natural rubberlatex to make a variety of prod-ucts, such as surgical gloves andcondoms, is most important. TheRadiation Vulcanization ofNatural Rubber Latex (RVNRL)products are free of nitrosoaminecompounds and RVNRL gloveshave low ash content and lowemission of sulphur dioxidewhen incinerated.

Many Asia Pacific countries havealready advanced toward com-mercialization of RVNRL, withtrial or pilot scale production ofrubber-dipped products under-way in India, Indonesia,Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka,Thailand and Viet Nam. India

Indonesian trainees get hands on experience with radiationVulcanization. Credit: IAEA

and Indonesia set up semi-com-mercial plants in 1993. Malaysiabegan operating the third plant in1996, which is the largest in theregion with maximum capacity of6,000 cubic metres of radiationvulcanized latex a year. Thailandwill have the fourth in operationlate this year.

Later in the year the Agency willorganize a co-ordinated researchprogramme (CRP) on RVNRL,which will link a network ofdeveloping and developedcountries in the field according toa strict research protocol over a 5-year period. Japan, where radia-tion cross-linking is used inalmost every industry, will play alead role.

R&D on RVNRL has been done innine latex producing countrieswith technical assistance fromJapan's Takasaki RadiationChemistry Research Establishment.Trials of dipping products donein the early 1990s in Indonesiaand Viet Nam suggest the need toimprove physical properties liketensile strength and tear resis-tance. This research may be con-ducted at the four new plants.Another new effort led by Japanhas begun to develop low-costirradiators for small-scaleRVNRL and dipping-productmanufacturing. As a substantialamount of latex produced in theregion is from small scatteredplantations, easier access to smallplants will accelerate thecommercialization process.

In brief: Updates of stories and news events

Advanced degrees inMedical Physics

One of the original 12 ModelProjects approved in 1994"National programme of trainingin Medical Physics" successfullycompleted its objectives inMexico at the end of last year.Medical Radiation Physics is con-cerned with the accurate and safemedical exposure to ionizingradiation for the treatment of can-cer and the diagnosis of humandisease. It is also allied withhealth physics in regard to radia-tion protection and safety.

During 2 years of operation 15 hos-pital employees (physicists andengineers) upgraded their skills byparticipating in an advanced edu-cational training programme con-sisting of 4 modules of 10 weeksduration each: module I on funda-mentals of medical physics, II onradiological safety and qualityassurance, III on radiotherapytreatment planning and IV on diag-nostic radiology and nuclear medi-cine. Ten of the participants havesuccessfully completed their train-ing and have received an accredit-ed diploma in Medical Physics.Parallel to this training, an agree-ment was reached between theNational Institute of NuclearInvestigations (ININ) and theAutonomous University of theState of Mexico (UAEM) culminat-ing in the establishment at theUniversity of a modern syllabusleading to MSc and PhD degrees inMedical Physics covering the areasof radiotherapy, diagnostic radiolo-gy and nuclear medicine. This pro-gramme now continues withoutassistance from the Agency and isopen to students from the region;20 students are currently enrolled.

Andean barley isspreading

A new Model Project in Peru"Introduction of barley and othernative crop mutant cultivars" is

expanding the results achievedunder previous efforts (see "Barleyclimbs the Andes" — Inside TC,March 1996). The objective is toincrease food supply and farmincome in the Andean Highlandsby introducing a radiation-inducedmutant barley line called "UNA LaMolina 95". Earlier field testingsuccessfully demonstrated that thenew variety is drought and frostresistant, has a high nutritionalvalue, matures early and providesyield increases up to a factor oftwo even under the harsh growingconditions in the highlands.

One of the immediate objectivesis the development of sufficientseed capacity (up to 400t peryear) to support widespread cul-tivation. Near the coastal town ofCanete, on one of many seed pro-duction plots supervised by theproject counterpart Mr. RomeroLoli, harvest is already underwayand soon the Government willstart distributing the seed tofarmers living or resettling in thehighlands. Further field researchis expected to yield new varietiesof barley and kiwicha in 5-6 yearstime, whereas an advanced M2generation of quinoa mayproduce a promising new varietywithin 3 years.

Targeting rinderpesteradication in AfricaRepresentatives of the maincountries involved in the Pan-African Rinderpest Campaign(PARC) outlined their plans foreradicating the disease fromAfrica, and agreed it could beachieved over the next three tofive years at a meeting in January1997, organized by theDepartment of Technical Co-operation and the JointFAO/IAEA Division. PARCinvolves 34 countries with all buttwo having rinderpest under con-trol. Also attending wererepresentatives of the campaign'sdonor organizations, includingthe European Union (EU) and the

United States Agency forInternational Development(USAID).

During the Vienna meeting, partic-ipants defined the problems asso-ciated with the surveillance ofresidual rinderpest and discussedpossible solutions. These involvedthe strengthening of disease sur-veillance and of the existing net-work through regional referencelaboratories that will help nationallaboratories in the diagnosis ofrinderpest. Participants agreedthat the eradication of rinderpestfrom African countries will notonly help to avoid disastrous cattlelosses and resulting famines, butwill also allow more trade in live-stock and livestock products.

International livestock trade isregulated through theOrganisation Internationale desEpizooties (OIE) by a set of rulesand specific declarations relatingto various diseases, a processcalled the "OIE Pathway". Forrinderpest, country declarationsculminate in the final objective"Declaration of Freedom fromInfection". The majority ofAfrican countries are well on theway to achieving this goal andhave already made "ProvisionalDeclarations of Freedom fromDisease".

In Memoriam

Vitomir MarkovicAugust 1936 — March 1997

In recognition of his long anddistinguished service to deve-loping countries in the field ofindustrial applications.

Private sector adopting nuclear techniques

Extending the shelf life of agricultural produce is a key element of food securityCredit: IAEA

Over the past 15 years, some 40cobalt-60 irradiators have beensupplied to developing countriesthrough IAEA technical co-opera-tion projects, along with therequired regulations, infrastruc-ture, and trained personnel tooperate them safely. These facili-ties have been used for manypurposes including sterilizingmedical supplies, extending thelife of fresh foods and dried food-stuffs, synthesizing industrialmaterials, modifying the physicalproperties of plastics and eradi-cating insect pests.

But such techniques become trulysustainable only when they movebeyond the laboratory and thenational counterparts to theindustrial sector, where peoplewith business know-how andfinancial resources can applythem commercially.

Attracting private industry is sel-dom easy, but occurs when pro-jects can contribute sustainably tothe recipient national economies.One noteworthy example isGamma-Pak Holdings, a Turkishprivate company recently estab-lished in Istanbul. Turkey's firstgamma irradiator, a mediumsize Cobalt-60 plant builtunder an IAEA/UNDP/TurkishGovernment project, began oper-ating in 1993 at a nuclearresearch centre in Saraykoy,Ankara. A group of entrepre-neurs led by Kubilay Goktalay

were impressed by its perfor-mance and conducted a marketsurvey of the Istanbul region. In1994, they launched Gamma-Pak,purchased their own, much big-ger, gamma irradiator and got itup and running in Istanbul'slarge industrial zone.

Gamma-Pak's irradiator is alreadymaking profits. Targeting theindustrial needs of companies inthe Istanbul region, Gamma-Pakcontractually irradiates single-usemedical products such as surgicalgloves, syringes and catheters anddecontaminates spices and driedfruits for trading companies. Onearea of growing promise uses idlecapacity to crosslink polymers tomake floor heating pipes.

Though completely private,Gamma-Pak is operated underthe rules and supervision ofthe Turkish Atomic EnergyAuthority. "The links betweengovernment and private compa-ny are permanent", IAEA officialssay. "The safety of equipment,product, personnel, public andthe environment are issues fornational nuclear authorities. Soas long as the plant exists thelinks exist."

Peru provides another exampleof nuclear technology extendingto the private sector. An IAEAproject to support the installationof a multi-purpose irradiationfacility, launched in 1984, madelittle headway over almost 10years because the Atomic EnergyCommission (IPEN) had difficul-ties raising its share of funding.But IPEN project counterpartCarlos del Valle and IAEA staffresisted repeated calls to abortthe project. Their perseverancepaid off in the early 1990s, whentwo entrepreneurs - Jesus AymarAlejos and Manuel Mendoza -became convinced that the irradi-ator had commercial potential fortheir two separate companies.

Together with IPEN they formed anew company, Inmune SociedadAnonima, and completed theessential ground structures dedi-cated to accommodate the irradia-tor, which was provided by theAgency with project funds. Theplant was formally inaugurated inApril 1996, but has yet to breakeven because its throughput is lim-ited to medical products and a fewothers items. The irradiation facili-ty was built next door to SantaAnita, a planned commercial cen-tre for agricultural produce fromall over the country. It is expectedthat a large portion of the through-put would be from excess agricul-tural produce from the centre.

Aymar, the General Manager, andpartner Mendoza have begun tobuild-up production from a num-ber of sources. They say they wantit to be a gradual but steady pro-gression. They have plans to put innew operations and modernize theplant. The new owners believe thattheir services will be both econom-ical and make a major contributionto greater food security in Peru.

INSIDE Technical Co-operation is researched and written for the IAEA by anindependent journalist assigned by Maximedia. The stories may be freelyreproduced. For more information contact: IAEA TC Programme Co-ordi-nation Section, P.O. Box 100, A-1400 Vienna, Austria. Tel: +43 1 2060 26005;Fax: +43 1 2060 29633; e-mail: foucharp@tcpol.iaea.or.at