Activities of the Middle Eastern Regional Radioisotope Centre for the Arab countries

This Centre was established at the beginning of 1963. The present Member States are: Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAR and Yemen. The aims of the Centre are: (a) to train specialists in radioisotope applications according to the needs of the host country and of the Member States, dealing more particularly with uses in hydrology, medicine, agriculture, industry, health physics and radiation protection; (b) to do research on applications in the fields interesting the host country and Member States, such as hydrology (ground water), tropical diseases, fertilizers and entomology; (c) to promote the development of radioisotope applications in the countries served by the Centre. Up to the present the Centre has trained more than 200 specialists and university professors from the Arab countries and some African States, working in medicine, agriculture, science, pharmacy, engineering and veterinary medicine, in order to help build up a team of scientists and specialists able to introduce the use of radioisotopes in these disciplines in the countries of the area. The Centre has undertaken research work aimed at the solution of some of the economic problems of the Arab countries through the use of radioisotopes in various fields, especially in: groundwater, agriculture, entomology and medicine. Groundwater studies have been undertaken in the UAR, Kuwait, Libya and the Sudan. Experiments on the fertilizer-water-soil-plant relationship have been carried out in the Sudan and the UAR and will shortly start in Iraq. The Centre has undertaken research to control the fruit-fly pest by using the sterile-male technique: similar research is carried out to eradicate the malaria-vector mosquito in some regions of the area. Basic medical research is undertaken by the Centre to study thyroid dysfunctions and bilharziasis and its complications in the Sudan, Iraq and the UAR. (author)