Decades of Safe Nuclear Technology Experience in Jamaica

Jamaica’s decades-long experience with nuclear energy and technologies has been marked by its quiet, sustained use by highly trained personnel with strict regulation and a stellar record of safe operation.

The country’s work in the field includes the peaceful use of nuclear technology in medicine, agriculture and research, along with more than 40 years of experience operating a reactor safely.

Speaking as a panellist at the inaugural New Freedom Lecture at the Norman Manley Law School (NMLS) on August 4, Director General of the International Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Sciences (ICENS) at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, Professor Charles Grant, said Jamaica’s use of radioactive sources is supported by international agreements, safeguards and local regulation.

“We are party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) [and] also a party to [other] nuclear safeguards and we also have a regulatory body here now. This ensures that the way that we use and secure these radioactive sources are all governed by best international practices,” Professor Grant said.

“We are also signatory to the Treaty of Tlatelolco, which preceded the NPT [and] ensured that the Latin America and the Caribbean is a weapons-free zone…we were the first populated region to do so,” he added.

Professor Grant further noted that Jamaica has been leading the Caribbean in training, safety and security.

“[With] the training that we’re doing now, we have been leading the Caribbean effectively for the last 10 to 15 years,” he said.
Pointing to Jamaica’s long operating record with nuclear technology, Professor Grant said public concern often stems from the idea that radiation is “just about bombs and explosions”.

“The fact that we’ve had a reactor here for over 40 years and has been used safely tells you that this technology can be used safely [and] has been used safely,” he said.

“What many may not know [is] in 2015, we removed weapons-grade material from our reactor core…in collaboration with the United States government, Canada and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Our team did the removal [so] there are people here that are competent, well trained [and] well versed in the technology,” he said.

Professor Grant assured that Jamaicans can have confidence in the country’s trained experts and track record of operation.

“We are here and we have never had a breach…we’ve been here and we’ve been operating safely,” he said.

For his contribution to the panel discussion following the lecture, Campus Legal Officer at The UWI, Mona, Dr. Peter Glegg, noted that nuclear energy and technologies are already a vital part of Jamaica’s experience and have been used peacefully in areas such as medicine.

“Nuclear energy is the way forward for human civilisation in terms of…medical use. Currently at the University Hospital of the West Indies…there’s technology where you can ingest or have injected into your body certain radioactive isotopes [and] pinpoint to millimetre accuracy the location of a tumour,” Dr. Glegg said.

“Not only can you pinpoint this tumour, but you can also use radiation to burn this tumour with accuracy in millimetres. [With] where the technology is going in Jamaica, we talk about the cyber knife which will be happening soon in this country where you can use pinpoint radiation to perform and remove tumours from certain areas of the body that normal surgical procedures cannot access. This is the way of the future,” he added.

Dr. Glegg said Jamaica’s regulatory framework through entities such as the Hazardous Substances Regulatory Authority (HSRA) is central and important to the safe use of this technology.

“These local regulators…are some of the strictest, most stringent people…and they’re doing their jobs. These are the people who ensure that the use of nuclear technology in Jamaica, not only in medicine but in agriculture as well, is done under the rules and the auspices of the IAEA,” he noted.

Dr. Glegg added that Jamaica and the Caribbean have highly trained personnel working within the established principles of nuclear law.

“We have some of the most brilliant scientists and well-trained persons in the world working in Jamaica and elsewhere in the Caribbean. And they work quietly and they work under three of the main auspices of nuclear law and the first one is safety. The three Ss [are] safety, security and safeguards,” he pointed out.

Dr. Glegg further noted that the seriousness with which trained specialists approach nuclear technology is also reflected in the country’s record.

“When you work with that type of energy…it’s serious business. We have been safely and securely using this technology in Jamaica for many years and maintaining them without any issues thus far [and] I really don’t anticipate any such problem here because of how seriously we approach this technology and how we use it,” Dr. Glegg said.

The lecture was delivered by President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Hon. Justice Winston Anderson and titled, ‘No First Use of Nuclear Weapons: The Limits of Law?’ and hosted by the NMLS in collaboration with the CCJ, with support from the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.

The full lecture and panel discussion, streamed live on the YouTube channels of the NMLS, CCJ, Public Broadcasting Corporation of Jamaica (PBCJ) and the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), are available for viewing.