ANALYSIS OF THE REASONS FOR INCIDENTS WITH RADIOACTIVE SOURCES IN BULGARIA AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES

Since 1989 Bulgaria has started a comprehensive reform of its economicand social life. Part of this reform is the intensive privatization, which beganin 2001 and covered all sectors of industry, agriculture, medicine, science, includingobjects using sources of ionizing radiation. The rapid change of ownership andbusiness failure result in difficulties to identify the owner of radioactive source ormaterial and in significant deterioration in the physical protection of radioactivesources or material. This in turn causes the occurrence of various radiation emergencysituations, sometimes with considerable risk of radiation exposure of populationand radioactive contamination of the environment. Taking seriously in considerationthese problems, Bulgaria via the Nuclear Regulatory Agency has taken aseries of measures to improve the control over nuclear materials and radioactivesources and to strengthen emergency preparedness and response to radiation emergencies. The report analyzes the radiation emergencies, the reasons leading to theiroccurrence and describes the measures for their eradication, prevention and avoidanceof accidents