And while the Department of the Environment was hosting that meeting on the oil spill plan in Belize City, other representatives from that Department were in Belmopan hosting the launch of the National Inventory on Radiation Sources.
It's an initiative derived from the establishment of a National Radiation Safety Infrastructure that the DOE and the Belize Defense Force are leading.
They intend to collect information on all sources of radiation in the country, especially those that are severe threats to public health.
Representatives from the International Atomic Energy Agency are here to assist the Belizean authorities to carry out this initiative. The opening ceremony was held this morning at the NEMO Training Room, and Foreign Affairs CEO Pat Andrews was one of the keynote speakers.
Here's what he had to say on the importance of this information collection:
H.E. Patrick Andrews - CEO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"Today, we officially launch the workshop on the national inventory and radiation sources, which will assist the gathering of information and potential sources of radiation. This initiative stems from Belize's decision to embark on the establishment of a national radiation safety infrastructure. Presently, our country has several sources of radiation that are being used in sectors such as the medical and construction centers. This, in turn, requires that infrastructure be in place to collectively provide for the protection of workers, patients, the public at large, and of course, the environment. To roll out this initiative, the Government of Belize, with the assistance of the Department of the Environment, and the Belize Defense Force, along with the IAEA team, will be conducting a national inventory on radiation sources, scheduled to begin tomorrow 6th September. At the end of this week, Belize is expected to have a verified initial inventory of radiation sources, trained local authorities, and the establishment and update of the national source inventory, as well as a situational report including actions leading toward the establishment at the national regulatory infrastructure for radiation safety, compliant with the proper international standards."
A press release from the Government of Belize says, quote, "Personnel from the DOE, Customs Department, BDF, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Energy, and the University of Belize will begin the inventory exercise on 6th September 2017." End quote.
And in other related news, the DOE is reporting that they've properly disposed of all the ozone depleting chemicals that they had been collecting, after they were banned in Belize.
A press release says that from as far back as the mid-1990's, the DOE started stockpiling persistent organic pollutant chemicals.
The Department has confirmed with all their international partners that these chemicals have been properly disposed of.
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