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Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA
The IAEA is supporting experts from Heritage Malta in the use of x-ray technology to understand and preserve valuable ancient artefacts without damaging them.
This video was first published in November 2022.
Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA
‘Good To Know’, a new educational videos series explaining how nuclear science can help solve global issues, is being launched today on Discovery Channel, as part of a new partnership with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The films will air in over 30 countries, reaching 44 million households across the entire Europe, Middle East and Africa region.
This first tranche of five short films, made by the IAEA video team in conjunction with the Warner Bros. Discovery editorial team, will explain in simple terms how radiation can safely be used to solve some of the world’s most pressing global challenges. These include:
Each of these films is around one minute long and will play as part of Discovery’s ‘Good To Know’, a new educational videos series about the benefits of nuclear science and technology, both on television and online.
Future films to be included in the series will continue to investigate how nuclear science can help development, particularly in the light of climate change, such as by measuring how coastal regions sequester carbon, or how the oceans are becoming more acidic, or how pest insects can be controlled without chemicals. The films will also highlight more details on key IAEA programmes to battle plastic pollution, drought and hunger.
The films are made in conjunction with the IAEA’s twelve nuclear sciences and applications laboratories, a unique feature in the United Nations. The laboratories develop and share nuclear techniques with countries around the world. Watch a three-minute film about the labs here.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said: “People may know us as the nuclear watchdog, helping enhance safety, security and safeguards in places like Fukushima, Iran, Ukraine. But not enough people know of the amazing potential nuclear science has to make tangible differences in people’s lives – helping farmers grow better crops, cancer patients get better treatment, governments understand and protect key natural areas. As the terrible effects of climate change become more obvious to people around the world, it is important for the public to also know there is hope. Science, as always, offers solutions to many of our main challenges.”
Najat Mokhtar, Head of IAEA Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, agreed: “I am delighted to see ours labs’ the vital research being shared on the respected Discovery Channel. Science is a vital force for good in the world, and nuclear science offers so many incredible innovations to help countries meet their development goals.”
Jamie Cooke, Executive Vice President and Managing Director Central Europe, Middle East and Turkey said: “We are thrilled that our viewers will now get the opportunity to learn more about how nuclear science is being used in innovative ways to improve our lives and advance the environmental sustainability agenda. We consider it our duty to leverage the voice, storytelling strength and expertise we have, to cast light and tell the right stories that will positively impact our communities and viewers. It’s part of our Social Good Strategy, and we want to use our media for good.”
About the International Atomic Energy Agency
Widely known as the world’s “Atoms for Peace and Development” organization within the United Nations family, the IAEA is the international centre for cooperation in the nuclear field. The Agency works with its Member States and multiple partners worldwide to promote the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies. For more information, visit IAEA.org.
About Warner Bros. Discovery
Warner Bros. Discovery is a leading global media and entertainment company that creates and distributes the world’s most differentiated and complete portfolio of branded content across television, film, streaming and gaming. Available in more than 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Warner Bros. Discovery inspires, informs and entertains audiences worldwide through its iconic brands and products including: Discovery Channel, Max, discovery+, CNN, DC, TNT Sports, Eurosport, HBO, HGTV, Food Network, OWN, Investigation Discovery, TLC, Magnolia Network, TNT, TBS, truTV, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, Warner Bros. Television Group, Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, Warner Bros. Games, New Line Cinema, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies, Discovery en Español, Hogar de HGTV and others. For more information, please visit www.wbd.com.
Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA
This year’s ConvEx-3 exercise introduces three new elements to enhance preparedness and response capabilities. First, recognizing the transboundary impacts of nuclear or radiological accidents, significant focus is placed on regional collaboration. This includes harmonizing protective measures, such as evacuation zones and iodine distribution, across borders to ensure consistent, effective actions and to build public trust.
Second, the exercise integrates a nuclear security component, simulating threats to regulatory control, physical protection and computer security in a realistic setting. This approach features collaboration among participating countries and international organizations to counter threats to the secure use of nuclear and other radioactive material.
Finally, a more integrated method for planning, conducting and evaluating the exercise will be used. This includes an expanded social media simulator, which challenges participants to manage real-time crisis communication to test the public communication strategies of participating organizations.
To ensure that the knowledge gained during ConvEx-3 has a lasting impact on national and international emergency arrangements, the exercise will be followed by a technical meeting that will provide a forum for sharing lessons learned, discussing best practices and identifying actionable improvements.
Official contact points registered on the IAEA’s USIE platform are invited to submit their country’s registration form to participate in this exercise by 31 January 2025.
For more information, contact the IAEA Incident and Emergency Centre.
Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA
A unique combination of rapid population growth, urbanization and a shortage of available real estate has produced an acute housing crisis in the Philippines, whose population of nearly 110 million faces a shortage of approximately 6.5 million homes, projected to rise to 22 million by 2040.
Following a national stakeholder meeting organized through the ongoing IAEA project in 2023, the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) and Envirotech Waste Recycling Inc. formed a partnership in July 2023 that aims to address both the country’s housing crisis and its plastic waste problem.
Construction materials made from recycled plastic—including tiles, bricks, lumber and boards—are being provided by Envirotech for irradiation by PNRI experts to improve their tensile and sheer strength, abrasion resistance and other mechanical properties.
These efforts correspond closely to the objectives of the Philippines’ Post-radiation Reactive Extrusion of Plastic Wastes (PREx Plastic) Project, a national development plan supported by the NUTEC Plastics initiative that aims to use radiation to enhance the thermomechanical strength of materials produced from plastic wastes, which would enable more uses for recycled plastics.
The collaboration between PNRI and Envirotech Waste Recycling Inc. uses the company’s facility for upscaling experiments. “This enables the investigation and translation of lab-scale findings to real manufacturing setups,” said Jordan Madrid, Head of PNRI’s Chemistry Research Section.
“Through industry collaboration, the objectives of applied research are more precisely targeted, thereby enhancing its industrial relevance and, as a result, its national impact,” Madrid added.
For more information and to join NUTEC Plastics, visit the NUTEC Portal.
Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA
“Reflecting an international consensus on what constitutes a high level of safety, the IAEA safety standards are a cornerstone of the IAEA mission in the area of nuclear and radiation safety to protect people and the environment from harmful effects of ionizing radiation,” said Lydie Evrard, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security. “This e-learning series showcases the IAEA’s commitment to promoting a wider understanding of the application of the safety standards.”
Designed for operators, regulators and other users of IAEA safety standards, this cost-free e-learning series includes modules on all safety requirements, offering users the flexibility to focus on a specific topic or to complete the entire series of 13 modules for a comprehensive understanding of safety standards.
The e-learning series explains the interconnections among the IAEA safety standards, which cover all nuclear and radiation applications used for peaceful purposes. “The challenge for us lies in ensuring that countries can fully leverage these safety standards to protect both people and the environment from harmful effects of ionizing radiation,” said Dominique Delattre, who managed the initiative as Head of the IAEA Safety Standards and Security Development Section. “This e-learning series serves as a bridge, helping users understand the value of these safety standards and how to apply them effectively.”
The introductory module, which is available in all six official IAEA languages, provides an overview of the safety standards, explaining how they are structured and developed, their primary objectives and how the safety fundamentals, safety requirements and safety guides are integrated together to form a robust framework for nuclear safety.
The other modules, which are available in English, cover the safety requirements that must be met when using nuclear technology for peaceful purposes in fields such as health, food and agriculture, industry, energy and research and development.
Each module explains in simple language the IAEA’s safety requirements, ranging from the governmental, legal and regulatory frameworks that govern nuclear activities and facilities, to practical measures for ensuring safe operation of various types of nuclear facilities. The modules also showcase practical examples. Users receive a certificate for each module they complete.
Offering high-quality, self-paced modules that take less than an hour to complete, the e-learning series allows learners to easily integrate this training into their schedules and makes it possible to reach a broader group of stakeholders. Since the first module was introduced in 2020, more than 6500 individuals around the world have used the e-learning modules.
“This initiative covers all IAEA safety requirements for the first time,” said Delattre in summary. “Through these modules, the Agency aims to increase awareness of the IAEA safety standards globally by making knowledge easily accessible to all.”
Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA
The imPact review team’s international expert in radiotherapy provided advice on treatment planning at the Usman Danfodiyo Teaching Hospital in Sokoto, Nigeria. (Photo: L. Haskins/IAEA)
Nigeria has advanced its national cancer control programme in the last decade and is making steady progress towards expanding care for millions of people, an international assessment has found. Nigeria is strengthening institutional response, increasing resource allocation and building its oncology workforce and services to tackle its cancer burden, according to the review.
The imPACT review, carried out by the IAEA, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) upon request from the Nigerian Government, evaluated current health system readiness for cancer care and progress since a previous assessment in 2011.
With 220 million people, Nigeria has the largest population in Africa, densely spread across a country with a land mass of 900 000 square kilometres. However, the distribution of health services is uneven, concentrated around larger cities and not easily accessible for many Nigerians outside main urban centres. Noncommunicable diseases, including cancer, are a significant health problem; according to 2022 IARC figures, the number of new cancer cases in Nigeria is estimated at nearly 128 000 per year.
The most frequent types of cancer among Nigerian men are prostate, colorectal and liver cancers. Breast cancer, with over 32 200 new cases and more than 16 300 deaths per year, is the most common cause of death from cancer among Nigerian women. Cervical cancer also poses a major challenge, accounting for the second largest number of female cancer deaths in Nigeria.
The imPACT review team explored the complementary role of the private sector in enhancing access to radiotherapy during a visit to a private hospital in Lagos City, Nigeria. (Photo: A. Karagu/IAEA)
The most frequent types of cancer among Nigerian men are prostate, colorectal and liver cancers. Breast cancer, with over 32 200 new cases and more than 16 300 deaths per year, is the most common cause of death from cancer among Nigerian women. Cervical cancer also poses a major challenge, accounting for the second largest number of female cancer deaths in Nigeria.
In October 2024, an imPACT review team comprising IAEA, WHO and 12 independent experts from Algeria, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Morocco, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, the United States of America, Zambia and Zimbabwe visited key sites relevant to cancer control in Nigeria, including university hospitals and primary health care centres. The review team not only brought together a wide pool of expertise, but also fostered regional and south-south collaboration to support capacity building following the review.
An imPACT review mission in October 2024 assessed Nigeria’s cancer care capacities and provided recommendations to expand services. Here, the review team visits the University College Hospital in Ibadan. (Photo: L. Haskins/IAEA)
The team, on the ground in Nigeria from 14 to 24 October 2024, interviewed local health authorities and held extensive consultations with cancer stakeholders, including patient advocacy groups. They also met with partners that could potentially support the country in scaling up access to cancer services, including the Islamic Development Bank, the African Development Bank and the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority, among others.
The review found that Nigeria has taken positive steps to strengthen cancer care since the last imPACT mission to the country in 2011, including through the establishment in 2023 of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT). The institute has since launched the National Strategic Cancer Control Plan 2023-2027 and is working with several partners to implement its activities in cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, hospice and palliative care, as well as data management and advocacy.
“As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance access to cancer diagnosis and treatment across the country, we are working closely with the Federal Ministry Of Health and Social Welfare to establish comprehensive cancer treatment centres and diagnostic facilities across all the six geopolitical zones,” said NICRAT Director General Usman Aliyu. “We are also partnering with stakeholders towards strengthening cancer control programs at both the federal and state levels to address the rising burden of cancer in Nigeria.”
The imPACT team held meetings with local health authorities, partners and stakeholders, including patient advocacy groups. Preliminary findings were presented to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Nigeria. (Photo: L. Haskins/IAEA).
The imPACT review sought to create a baseline analysis of the current cancer care situation to support Nigeria in building strategic partnerships to expand care, including under broader global cancer efforts such as the IAEA’s Rays of Hope, WHO’s breast and cervical cancer initiatives, and IARC’s cancer registry initiative. The assessment also helped determine national capacity building needs in oncology, pathology and palliative care, among others.
“We are working closely with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and other partners under the sector-wide approach framework to promote synergies and enhance coordination for cancer control across at all levels, including the integration of cancer prevention and early diagnosis interventions within the primary health care setting,” said Walter Kazadi Mulombo, WHO Country Representative in Nigeria.
In May 2024, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi visited Nigeria and pledged increased cancer care support through the IAEA’s Rays of Hope initiative. Nigeria expressed interest to expand radiotherapy services – including brachytherapy to treat for example cervical and prostate cancers – in all its 36 states.
“The imPACT Review was well-timed, considering the country’s plans to expand cancer care access within the framework of the IAEA’s Rays of Hope and technical cooperation programme,” said Mickel Edwerd, Section Head in the IAEA Department of Technical Cooperation and member of the review team. “The findings provide a key starting point to increase cancer care access for millions of Nigerians.”
Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) staff reported hearing loud blasts near Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) today, coinciding with reports of a drone attack on the plant’s training center, marking yet another threat to nuclear safety at Europe’s largest NPP, according to Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.
The IAEA Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhya (ISAMZ) team stationed at ZNPP reported hearing two loud explosions coming from outside the perimeter of the site at approximately 12:45 and 15:45. For now, the IAEA has not yet been able to confirm any impact. The IAEA team also reported hearing machine gun fire coming from the site on multiple occasions.
The IAEA is aware of reports of an alleged attack by a drone at the ZNPP training center today, just outside of the site’s perimeter. Reports state that there were no casualties and no impact on any NPP equipment.
The ISAMZ team has reported that the intensity of military activities in the vicinity of Europe’s largest NPP – including multiple explosions at various distances from the site – has increased over the last 24 hours. “An attack on any nuclear power plant is completely unacceptable,” Director General Grossi stated. “In light of the increased military activity at ZNPP, I once again call for maximum restraint to avert the clear danger to its safety, and for the strict adherence to the five concrete principles established by the IAEA at the United Nations Security Council to protect the facility and the seven indispensable pillars of nuclear safety during an armed conflict also defined by the IAEA”.
Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is assessing observations and information collected from its recent missions to Ukraine’s electrical substations, conducted in the aftermath of attacks on the nation’s energy infrastructure, as part of the Agency’s ongoing commitment to monitoring nuclear safety and security, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today.
Recent assaults on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, including a major attack on 25 December that caused some reactor units at the country’s three operational plants to once again reduce their operating power for several hours, have reduced the stability of Ukraine’s electrical grid. All affected reactor units subsequently returned to nominal full power.
During its eight-day mission from 16 – 23 December, IAEA experts gathered technical information about seven electrical substations critical to the safe operation of Ukraine’s Khmelnytskyy, Rivne, and South Ukraine nuclear power plants (NPPs). A reliable and stable grid connection is essential to transfer the electricity generated by the operating NPPs and to receive off-site power, which is required for maintaining nuclear safety. The Zaporizhzhya NPP (ZNPP) and the Chornobyl site also depend on reliable and stable off-site power to maintain nuclear safety.
The IAEA team that visited the substations documented the damage and gathered critical evidence highlighting the electricity grid’s vulnerabilities as a result of attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. During the mission, the team met with experts from Ukraine’s grid operator, nuclear plant operators, and nuclear regulator. Drawing on information from this mission and two previous substation assessments, the IAEA is working to identify and deliver targeted technical assistance to help prevent a nuclear accident.
“These attacks impact grid stability and jeopardise the reliability of the off-site power supply, creating risks to nuclear safety,” said Director General Grossi. “Our ongoing missions to the substations and our presence at five nuclear power plant sites are essential for monitoring nuclear safety and security in Ukraine, particularly the reliable and stable provision of off-site power to the plants.”
The IAEA Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhya (ISAMZ) has continued to carry out walkdowns and follow maintenance activities to monitor the status of nuclear safety and security systems and equipment at the plant.
In another instance highlighting the precarious external power situation, the IAEA team stationed at the ZNPP, were informed that the plant’s last remaining 330 kV back-up power line was recently disconnected two times for maintenance from 20 – 22 December and from 24 – 25 December. Before the military conflict, Europe’s largest NPP was connected to four 750 kV and six 330 kV off-site power lines.
The IAEA team was informed that unit 4’s circulation pump used to maintain the movement and cleanliness of water in the ZNPP cooling pond was switched off on 18 December to maintain a level of water in the cooling pond. The ZNPP confirmed that water from the 11 groundwater wells is sufficiently feeding the sprinkler ponds which provide cooling to the six reactor units in their current cold shutdown states. The six reactor units at the ZNPP have not operated at power for more than two years.
The IAEA team was informed that planned maintenance activities were completed last week on safety trains in unit 2 and 6, as well as on one of the common emergency diesel generators. Additionally, diesel steam generators were operated between 12 – 30 December to treat roughly 800 cubic metres of liquid waste.
The team at the ZNPP continues to report hearing military activity in the vicinity of the plant. The ISAMZ team reported hearing explosions over the past days at various distances from Ukraine’s largest NPP. No damage was reported to the ZNPP.
Separately, the IAEA teams at the Khmelnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine NPPs and the Chornobyl site also continue to report air raid alarms, and the Khmelnytskyy team were required to shelter several times in the past week.
Elsewhere in Ukraine, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU) informed the IAEA that the subcritical neutron source facility at the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology lost off-site power on the morning of 25 December, as a result of military activities. The facility, which remains shutdown, received power from its emergency diesel generator until off-site power was restored approximately five hours later.
Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA
Did you know that every coffee bean holds a story? Using nuclear techniques, scientists can trace its journey — from the rain that nourished the plant to the soil that fed its roots. The IAEA, jointly with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), supports countries to use these methods to ensure coffee quality and authenticity. Discover how the University of Costa Rica is building a geographic database for Tarrazú Coffee, helping laboratories worldwide verify its origins and protect its reputation.
Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA
In his meeting with the president, Mr Grossi referred to the key role that nuclear energy, together with renewables, has in building a robust clean energy system, particularly considering the advantages offered by small modular reactors.
Paraguay’s Vice Minister of Mines and Energy, Mauricio Bejarano, recognized the support provided by the IAEA in energy planning and expressed willingness to double efforts to train young professionals who will be in charge of Paraguay’s future energy strategy.
Atoms4NetZero helps countries to harness the power of nuclear energy in the transition to net zero by providing them with the scientific evidence and technical expertise they need.
Paraguay is currently developing a nuclear energy programme implementing organization, which plays an important coordinating role in every phase of nuclear power infrastructure development. Cooperation with the IAEA’s Atoms4NetZero initiative can support these efforts.
“The President is leading Paraguay’s energy planning with a vision of the future, integrating different sources, including nuclear,” Mr Grossi said in a briefing with Paraguayan journalists. “The IAEA is here, accompanying Paraguay and providing all the requested technical and safety support. It is a key moment in Paraguayan energy development and we are beginning to take the first steps on this path.”
During his visit to Paraguay, Mr Grossi was awarded the National Order of Merit ‘Comuneros’ by the National Congress Chamber of Deputies for his efforts to advance the peaceful uses of nuclear technology and in recognition of the assistance that the IAEA provided to Paraguay, which saved countless lives during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the fight against cancer.