Radiation protection in Uruguay. The role of the Uruguayan radiation protection association

Uruguay has been conducted nuclear activities in medical uses for many years and as early as 1919 established the first law. In 1955 established a Regulatory body sources. But nowadays the Country has not the adequate structure in the use of nuclear technology in spite of the fact that these uses increased. The regulatory body depends on the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining and also is in charge of promotion and development. The paper will consider the principal aspects of the problem: lack of information, lack of basic legislation, lack of adequate structure. Lack of information: The radiological risk perception in the public is very different of that perception in the authorities. Uruguayan public have not become aware of the benefits of the uses of nuclear technology and the authorities have not learnt from accidents as in Goiania, Ciudad Juarez and others in order to be able improve legislation and structure. Fortunately Uruguay had not important incidents but it is important to have adequate legal instruments in order to prevent them as an adequate structure. Lack of basic legislation: The development of this science of nuclear energy needs adequate regulations and structures following the international standards Uruguay has important legal documents as the one that created the Atomic Energy National Commission and then the Nuclear Energy National Direction and others as the decree No. 519, November 1984 and legal instruments that approved the International Conventions of WLO but it has not a radiation protection Act. Uruguay is also part of the Tlatelolco Treaty and the Non Proliferation Treaty and approved the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage of 1963, the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident and the Convention on Assistance in Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency. Lack of an adequate structure: The regulatory body depends on the Ministry of Industry Energy and Mining and is in charge of regulation, promotion and development. The paper will study that this does not follow international recommendations and as Uruguay has not nuclear plants for energy will be better to have a body which depends directly on the Presidence of the Republic because it will have strong links with many Ministries as Labour, Environment, Public Health and others and in this way it will give more confidence to the public. The role of the Uruguayan Radiation Protection Association: On April 1998 Uruguayan professionals of different areas of Radiation Protection created the Association Uruguaya de Radioprotection (A.U.R.) in order to work together with the objective of improving radiation protection in Uruguay. Since April 1999 we are member of the IRPA family. Members of AUR are interested on improving radiation protection in Uruguay so we work in order to cooperate with this desire as an essential need in the field of nuclear technology. Last month we finished a project of Radiation Protection Act and we presented it to the authorities. This Act will be study in this paper. It follows international recommendations. (author)