Nuclear energy should not be feared, but rather we should become familiar with, study and control it, and experts in Serbia are capable of doing all of that.
Belgrade, December 2, 2020 – In cooperation with the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, the Serbian Radiation and Nuclear Safety and Security Directorate (SRBATOM) held the Nuclear Safety Today conference for the second consecutive time, but this year, it was an online conference.
This year’s conference was dedicated to the latest trends in the two largest branches of nuclear energy – medicine and energy, as well as in the application of modern techniques based on ionizing radiation in the study and preservation of cultural heritage.
The conference was officially opened by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, Minister of Culture and Information and Chairwoman of the Board of SRBATOM, Maja Gojković, who said on the occasion: “Nuclear energy is still one of the cleanest and most economical sources of electricity. The stability in electricity production in nuclear power plants and the high level of safety and security of nuclear facilities during the coronavirus pandemic have proved the reliability and sustainability of the entire nuclear energy system ”.
Nuclear energy is still one of the cleanest and most economical sources of electricity
Director of the Serbian Radiation and Nuclear Safety and Security Directorate, Slađan Velinov, said: „Despite the challenging epidemiological situation, SRBATOM worked without interrupting, enabling the issuance of import permits for new hospital equipment and equipment for diagnosing and treating other diseases, as well as radiopharmaceuticals necessary for diagnosing and treating the most serious diseases. In cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, SRBATOM also provided a donation for equipping three laboratories in Serbia for rapid detection of coronavirus, and the value of the donated equipment exceeds 250,000 euro.”
„During this global pandemic, the Vinča Institute has been working without stopping all the time. The Institute’s experts are engaged in the fight against Covid-19, in different aspects and levels. Our experts were engaged in all three laboratories where PCR tests are processed,” said Snežana Pajović, PhD, Director of the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences.
Dr Danica Grujičić, director of the Institute of Oncology and Radiology of Serbia and head of the Department of Stereotactic Neuroradiosurgery, said that nuclear energy should not be feared, but rather we should be familiar with it, study and control it, adding that experts in Serbia are capable of doing all of that. Dr Grujčić also pointed out: “The importance of nuclear energy in medicine is growing. Nuclear medicine is a special type of specialization where, thanks to drugs that are marked with certain radioactive substances and substances that you inject into the patient’s blood vessels, you can determine exactly where a certain pathological process is located. Furthermore, these same drugs marked with radioactive substances can in many cases be very useful in treatment, especially in thyroid and neuroendocrine tumours.“
Zoran Drače, a retired expert of the International Atomic Energy Agency, presented the latest trends in the field of nuclear energy as well as activities in the design and development of generation IV nuclear power reactors and small modular reactors. The goal of nuclear energy is to enable the production of electricity and other applications of reactor technologies by developing new, more reliable and safer solutions, ensuring the protection of human health and the environment.