Govt urged to manage nuclear waste

Govt urged to manage nuclear waste

SAMARINDA, East Kalimantan: The government should monitor and
control nuclear waste produced by local industries and research
institutes because the public is unaware of the hazards, said
Yusri Heni, head of the Nuclear Power Development Supervisory
Agency (Bapeten).

In addition, she said the government should set standards for
nuclear waste management and recycling in order to safeguard the
public.

She cited an example where nuclear waste from steel producer
PT Krakatau Steel was stolen by scavengers who did not realize
that the substance could be a health hazard.

Currently there are 800 industrial operations and 60 research
institutes that utilize nuclear materials. Yusri predicted that
the use of nuclear energy would increase in the fields of
radiography, mining, industry, agriculture, logging, and health.
--Antara