IAEA/RCA Project Planning Meeting on Radiation Processing Applications for Health and the Environment will be held from 23-27 April 2007 in Bangkok, Thailand in cooperation with the Government of Thailand through Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology (TINT).

Radiation technology utilizing gamma-ray or X-ray sources and electron accelerators is one of the cleanest and most reliable processes for material modification widely applied today. Ionizing radiation is well known for its beneficial capacity to crosslink, degrade and generate free radicals, reducing and oxidizing species in materials. It is the manipulation of these properties that has resulted in the development of radiation processing applications, with which most of the RCA countries are familiar. In the field of new materials development, it is foreseen that natural polymers, composites and nano materials will become major technologies in the near future, with radiation processing playing an important role. As well as being abundant in the Asia-Pacific region, natural polymers are recyclable and can be used as raw material in health care products.

The obvious advantages of their use include economics, efficacy, and environmental conservation. Past RCA projects have led to several applications involving the radiation processing of natural polymers related to agriculture, human health, and the environment. While some of these products are now fully developed and commercialized (hydrogel dressings, for example), several new commercially valuable products for health and the environment are still being developed. One problem that is becoming more and more important for the RCA region is environmental protection. While electron beam facilities for electron beam flue gas and wastewater treatment have been constructed in China and the Republic of Korea, and a gamma sludge irradiator is in operation in India, these technologies are far from having been exploited in all the Member States. The regional project will involve both individual activities (specifically the promotion of the wider utilization of novel materials for health), and environmental applications. Member States participating will provide information on radiation technology as an option for environmental control and will establish contact with end-users.

For further information, contact Mr Manit Sonsuk at manit@oaep.go.th, or fax: +66 2 561 3013.