ANSTO to reopen to staff tomorrow. School holiday workshops, external tours cancelled until Monday.
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) will reopen its campus to staff tomorrow, based on advice from the Rural Fire Service.
However, due to continued smoke and back burning in the area, ANSTO has decided to cancel school holiday workshops and other external tours that were scheduled for this week.
In addition, KU has advised ANSTO that the centre will remain closed tomorrow in the interest of the health and safety of our children and staff.
CEO, Dr Adi Paterson, thanked the emergency services for their partnership over the past few days, and the nuclear medicine staff who stayed on site to guarantee supplies.
Some 1,200 scientists, engineers and other staff work at the Lucas Heights campus, and all non-essential staff were advised to work from home during the bushfires at Menai and surrounds.
However, a core of staff remained to ensure critical operations were undertaken, including production and distribution of nuclear medicines, including:
- Molybdenum 99, which is used in hospitals and nuclear medicine centres to diagnose various heart, lung and muscular-skeletal conditions, as well as cancers.
- Iodine 131, which is used in hospitals and cancer centres in the treatment of hyperthyroidism and thyroid cancer
“Nuclear medicine is needed, on average, by one in two Australians during their lifetime, for diagnosis or treatment of heart, lung and skeletal conditions, and various types of cancers,” Dr Paterson said.
“It is a critical part of our modern health system, with more than 10,000 patient doses of nuclear medicine a week delivered to up to 220 hospitals in Australia and around the region.
“I want to thank all of the staff who came together to ensure the continued safe operations of our infrastructure and facilities, and maintain continued supplies nuclear medicine to Australian hospitals.
“We have had people working double shifts and shifts around the clock, and even arrangements in place to get critical staff onto and off site under escort of Police lights, if needed.
“A third of our staff live locally, so our situation was complicated further by the fact our General Managers of Medicine Production and Group Execs for the research team and Opal Reactor were amongst the local members of the community impacted by the fire.
“I would also like to thank the emergency services and support staff who are assisted with everything from fire-fighting, through to road closures and planning.”
Jayne Senior is the Group Executive for ANSTO’s commercial businesses, which oversees the ANSTO Nuclear Medicine Project, amongst others.
“I’d like to thank all our staff who responded calmly to the events of the last few days, who in the face of difficult circumstances, knew exactly what they were doing, and got on with it,” Senior said.
“Our nuclear medicine production team particularly have done a remarkable job – not missing a beat and ensuring potentially lifesaving nuclear medicine supply was guaranteed, which is a great result.
“Their performance during the Southern Sydney fires is testament to their ability to get on with their important job, even when there is an emergency in their own backyards.”
The essential staff who were onsite maintained operation of the OPAL reactor and important production of nuclear medicine.
Additionally, ANSTO opened its café to all RFS and Emergency Service workers, and provided access to water and other facilities to support emergency operations. The ANSTO motel was also opened to provide accommodation for emergency workers.
The Rural Fire Service advised no risk to ANSTO as a result of fires near the Lucas Heights campus, however significant road closures were in place. The decision to close the campus to non-essential staff was taken on Monday and Tuesday to lessen road movements in the area.
Media contact: Phil McCall 0438 619 987
Published: 17/04/2018