VietNamNet Bridge – The government of Vietnam has moved ahead with its nuclear power development program, but the public has yet to be educated about the benefits and dangers of nuclear energy.

On September 12, 2014, two young men broke into a storehouse belonging to APAVE Company in Tan Binh District in HCM City and took a device containing Iridium-192.

The piece of equipment was designed for non-destructive testing (NDT). NDT equipment contains radioactive material, mostly iridium Ir‒192, cobalt Co‒60 or cesium Cs‒137, all of which can generate X-rays that penetrate metal and allow users to discover if there are any defects.

When the radioactive source is removed from the device, it could endanger the environment and people's health.

Dang Dinh Cung, a consultant and engineer, said the radioactive substance in the equipment was covered by a protective layer which prevents leakage of radiation.

However, if the protective layer is broken, the radiation can be released. This can cause burning of skin, and lead to cancer or death to those exposed.

Cung said a similar case had occurred in Brazil in 1987. A device containing cesium Ce-137 was taken by two teenagers from a hospital.

Later, eight places in the city were found to be radioactive, while over 1,000 people had been exposed to the equivalent of one year of physical radioactivity absorption.

Fifteen years ago, a radioactive device was also found missing from a construction site in Vietnam. The device was discovered within several hours. The trouble led to a work interruption of several hours.

The APAVE device was also discovered later. However, Cung noted a major problem still exists – the public’s lack of awareness of the danger of radioactivity and radioactive devices.

The accident in Brazil 27 years ago occurred in a small town but it caused severe damage, and could have been worse if the device had not been found.

Seven or eight years ago, experts predicted that from 2024-2025 Vietnam would need 2,000 MW of electricity more each year, equal to the capacity of two nuclear power plants.

The government of Vietnam, after delaying implementation of the Ninh Thuan nuclear power plant project from 2014 to 2017, has decided that 2020 would be the right time for the project kick-off.

Cung said that it may take one generation for all Vietnamese to understand nuclear power.   

Meanwhile, the government has not taken any action to raise public awareness about nuclear energy.

In response to the loss of the radioactive device, HCM City authorities have decided that all radioactive sources in the city will now include a positioning device, beginning in  November.

ICDREC, a technology center, has been assigned by the city to manufacture the device. Its director Ngo Duc Hoang said the device would use GPS technology, like the automobile’s black box. It will be equipped with a Vietnam-designed SG8V1 chip.

Thanh Mai