PUBLIC AWARENESS PROGRAMS
Following accidents in nuclear power stations such as
those at Three Mile Island USA in March 1979 and at Chernobyl in USSR in
April 1986 as well as accidents involving radiotherapy sources in
Juarez, Mexico in 1984-85 and Goiania, Brazil in September 1987, public
concern about radiation hazards has increased, particularly from
radioactive contamination of food stuff.
The Indian Association
for
Radiation Protection has an important role to play
in bringing about proper public awareness about radiation safety.
It is the only Organization of its kind in the
country. It has been arranging periodically the
public awareness programmes at various
places in the country. Such programmes
are also taken up as part of IARP Chapter activity. Recently such
programmes were conducted by Kalpakkam Chapter, Tarapur Chapter, Kanpur
Chapter (at Kanpur and Allahabad). Earlier, a three-day extensive
programmes with significant interactive component with public was
conducted at Kota, Rajasthan. Reports on the above are periodically
published.
The Association has brought out a booklet entitled "Radiation a
fact of life, which explains to the general public the beneficial uses
of ionizing radiations and health effects of low levels of ionizing
radiations in the perspective of the issues in day to day life.
The Association arranges scientific
exhibition related to radiation applications and
safety during the annual conferences and workshops.
These exhibits need to be renewed/updated from time to time.
Under the educational
programmes, lectures/quiz
contests related to radiation and its applications are conducted in
schools and colleges. IARP also gets associated with
Refresher Courses conducted by medical
institutions for radiation therapists/technologists
and others. IARP has been conducting Workshops
on Radiation Protection in Diagnostic
Radiology, Ionizing radiations and gamma
ray spectroscopy. Such Workshops were conducted at
Trivendrum, Agra, Bangalore, Lucknow, Bhopal and Jodhpur, Betul (M.P.)