We are accustomed to managing all radioactive waste -- both industrial and medical -- including the one generated by reactors.Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Nuclear Research Center of National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) expressed confidence on being able to manage radioactive waste suitably, so people should not be perturbed about the matter.
"We are accustomed to managing all radioactive waste -- both industrial and medical -- including the one generated by reactors. Thus, the public should not be worried about it," acting head of the center Agus Sumaryanto stated during a webinar here on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Sumaryanto conveyed BRIN’s plan to establish an integrated nuclear facility at the Science and Technology Research Center (Puspiptek), South Tangerang City, Banten Province, which was located near the residents' houses.
The research center is a non-structural institution that organizes technical research, development, study, and application, as well as inventions and innovations of nuclear power.
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The research conducted by the institution on radioactive waste comprise the technology for waste pre-disposal and management.
Furthermore, the acting head of the center spoke of his side also conducting research on radioisotope, radiopharmaceutical, and ionizing radiation technology that are applied in various sectors.
For instance, the center has studied, implemented, and innovated radioisotope technology for nuclear detection, tracing, and analysis.
In addition, the technology has been widely used in the medical sector as a tracer in finding body parts infected by cancer cells.
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Utilization of radioisotope as a tracer can also be implemented to manage plastic waste, which is being developed by the National Atomic Energy Agency (Batan).
The technology can detect the movement of microplastic waste scattered on the beach or sea by determining how long the microplastic has been deposited in the ecosystem and studying the effects of waste in the marine biota contaminated by it.
By generating more radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals products domestically, they are expected to substitute imported products to meet the public and medical players’ demand, thereby enabling Indonesia to reduce its dependence on imported products.
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Translator: Martha Simanjuntak, Uyu Liman
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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