UN IAEA Says Nuclear Medicine Advances Should Drive New Patient Protection Procedures
August 17, 2025—According to an article written by Joanne Burge, of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA's) Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, the use of nuclear medicine is rising so fast, it risks outstripping the development of patient protection procedures.
Burge notes that the latest estimates put the frequency of diagnostic nuclear medicine procedures at approximately 40 million annually, and that level of testing demand has triggered an equally fast rise in the development of new radiopharmaceuticals and advanced diagnostic techniques.
At a meeting of global experts from 35 countries in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, Europe and Latin America assembled at IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, the conclusion was that nuclear medicine procedures using ionizing radiation showed “excellent results in clinical studies” but because they were being developed so quickly, guidelines for patient protection often lagged.
“Together,” noted IAEA Radiation Protection Specialist Chadia Rizk, “we identified common challenges in the radiation protection of patients in modern nuclear medicine and provided recommendations for filling gaps in guidance and harmonizing radiation protection practices.”
The experts highlighted how important it would be to optimize hybrid imaging protocols and patient dosimetry to maximize patient safety, while noting that artificial intelligence (AI) showed the potential to improve the speed and accuracy of dose calculations, which, in turn, could help minimize the patient’s radiation exposure per procedure.
The group also expressed “the need for enhanced training, qualified personnel, increased access to high performance equipment and dedicated dosimetry software in radionuclide therapy, and for assessment of non-standardized practices in medical facilities worldwide.”
The meeting summary report containing all findings, challenges, conclusions and recommendations can be found here.
NOTE: The IAEA currently offers an e-learning course and training material on nuclear medicine, as well as FAQs for professionals and FAQs for patients in its information hub for radiation protection of patients.
Russian Takeover of Ukrainian Nuclear Plant May Disappoint
Russians may have expected to be able to control 25% of Ukraine's power nationwide, but only a small fraction of that capacity is currently online, according to the IAEA.
March 4, 2022—Overnight, Russian forces took control of the six-reactor Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP). Today, the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) noted in a release published on the UN website that “no release of radioactive material” occurred during the takeover. Each of ZNPP’s six reactors has a nominal capacity of 950 MW, for a total of 5,700 MW, or 5.7 GW.
Other media outlets have reported that the Zaporizhzhia plant supplies 20–25% of Ukraine's power. However, the same IAEA release that affirmed the safety of nuclear materials described the status of the six reactors at the plant as follows: “Unit 1 is shut down for maintenance, Units 2 and 3 have undergone a controlled shut down, Unit 4 is operating at 60 per cent power and Units 5 and 6 are being held ‘in reserve’ in low power mode.” A Reuters report noted that an internal IAEA document it had seen showed Unit 4’s output at 690 MW (72.6% capacity).
Regardless of exact Unit 4 output, that means that Units 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 are currently pushing no power to the Ukrainian grid. In fact, of all the power currently being consumed in Ukraine, only 570 MW (60% of Unit 4’s 950MW maximum output, per IAEA release) or 690MW (per Reuters) is being provided by ZNPP.
While Russian forces could substantially increase ZNPP’s output to the grid by demanding the operators bring other reactors online, their ability to cut power is limited to the plant’s current 570MW/690MW power output—perhaps a strategic disappointment.
UN Climate Change Report Card
March 3, 2022—When the Paris Climate Accord of 2015 was adopted, 194 of the 196 signatory countries committed to update their climate goals by 2020.
As of March 3, 2022, here are the 13 countries that have met that commitment:
•Argentina
•Bhutan
•Gambia
•Grenada
•Marshall Islands
•Nepal
•Oman
•Papua New Guinea
•Samoa
•South Sudan
•Suriname
•Tonga
•United Arab Emirates