A nationwide inspection of radiation sources was launched Monday to provide clear data about the sites, to collect and impose controls on abandoned sources and to reduce radioactive pollution. The six-month program, being jointly carried out by the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), and the ministries of public security and health, includes registration of radiation sources.

Li Ganjie, head of the management department for nuclear safety and radioactivity under SEPA, said that most of the uncontrolled sources of radiation in the country are at level four or five, which are not so dangerous.

Radiation sources are classified in five levels, with level one being the most dangerous and level five being the least dangerous. Most of the radiation in use in China is level four or five.

Exposure to level four or five radiation does not cause permanent harm, but long-term and close contact with level four sources can lead to temporary but reparable harm.

More than 63,700 radiation sources across the country are used by more than 8,300 organizations and companies. Some 30 percent are unregistered and 20 percent wasted but not disposed of properly. There are about 13,800 abandoned sources that require monitoring and control.

Experts estimate that at least 2,000 sources are not controlled.

Nearly 20 to 30 percent of the radiation sources in China are used in the medical and healthcare fields. The other 70 to 80 percent are spread through dozens of fields, such as agriculture, scientific research and mining, Li said.

According to SEPA Deputy Director Wang Yuqing, next year environmental protection authorities will adopt a qualification licensing system for organizations or companies that produce, export, import, sell, use, transport, store and dispose of radioactive materials.

They will also identify each newly produced or in-use radiation source with a tracking code, which will remain unchanged.

Wang said the country would also invest in building and improving radioactive waste storage facilities during the next two years so that each province would have one facility. Currently only 25 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities have them.

According to Li, more than 1,500 accidents involving radioactivity have occurred in the country since 1954, an average of 30 each year. Four of them resulted in eight deaths.

The most recent fatal accident occurred in October 1992, in Xinzhou, north China's Shanxi Province, said Zhou Qifu, an official with SEPA's nuclear safety center. The accident killed a construction worker, who picked up radioactive material at the site where he worked and took it home. His father and brother also died.

One of the major reasons for fatality was that the worker was ignorant about the source and local medical workers treating him did not recognize symptoms of radiation poisoning, Zhou said. He noted that 80 to 90 percent of the people who steal radioactive materials or equipment want the lead shields, which they can sell for some cash.

"Losses and thefts of radiation sources account for over 90 percent of the accidents," said Li Ganjie. In most cases, radioactive materials are lost because of outdated safety equipment and lack of control when an enterprise goes bankrupt and closes down.

The materials are often stolen and sold as steel products, Li said.

If people find suspected radioactive material, it would be better not to touch it, Li advised. He encouraged people finding such materials report to local environmental authorities.

 (Xinhua News Agency and China Daily, April 27, 2004)