DENGKIL – Since the dawn of the nuclear age, beginning with the Manhattan Project in 1942, culminating in the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the threat of nuclear war and smuggling of radioactive materials have been ever present throughout the world.
In Malaysia, the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) is the regulatory body responsible for controlling and regulating the use of atomic energy in Malaysia. It was established in 1985 following the passing of the Atomic Energy Licensing Act (Act 304), which enabled the Malaysian government to effectively regulate atomic energy activities in the country.
In November 2022, AELB was rebranded as the Atomic Energy Department (Atom Malaysia), which is placed under the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (Mosti).
Operating from its headquarters in Dengkil, Selangor, Atom Malaysia currently has four branches nationwide, namely in Kedah, Johor, Terengganu and Sarawak with a human capacity of 164 employees.
Speaking exclusively to The Vibes recently, Atom Malaysia’s director general Puan Noraishah Pungut, who has served in the department for over 30 years, claimed that the existence and function of the department are often misunderstood by the public.
“Firstly, when people are actually aware of Atom Malaysia’s existence, they automatically assume that Malaysia is associated with weapons of mass destruction such as atomic bombs, radiation effects, and mutation among others due to the word ‘atom’ being present in its name.
“Another common misconception is that we are frequently confused for our fellow agency, the Malaysian Nuclear Agency, which acts and operates separately under Mosti as a research body on nuclear energy, nuclear reactors, and research and development (R&D),” she added.
In the effort to protect the country from unwarranted threats stemming from radioactive materials, Atom Malaysia is always collaborating with various frontliners and enforcement agencies such as the Royal Malaysian Police, National Security Council (NSC), Immigration Department and the Royal Malaysian Customs Department to ensure that the efforts are collectively contributed towards national security.
The Royal Malaysian Customs Department has installed several Radiation Portal Monitors (RPM) throughout ports in Malaysia to detect radioactive materials or any unauthorised substances from entering the country. Sensors in this equipment will activate when it detects radioactive material and in the case of any suspicious activities, Atom Malaysia will also be alerted by the Customs Department.
“This agency previously imposed 50 millisieverts (mSv) annually, but when we modified Act 304, we complied with the new guidelines by adopting the global standard, which was 20mSv,” she added. MSv is a unit of measurement for the absorption of radiation by the human body.
Throughout its operational years, Atom Malaysia has successfully prosecuted several offenders under Act 304 including offences such as invalid licence and breach of licence conditions among others.
“While we are thankful that there are no major cases so far, we will continue to remain vigilant and be wary of any possibilities of threats and emergencies related to nuclear and radioactive materials.”
“By working together with other enforcement agencies, we are able to prevent smuggling and misuse of nuclear or radioactive materials for the purpose of terrorism and malicious intent,” she added.
Licence providers
Although Malaysia does not use nuclear power in their energy mix, Atom Malaysia has issued more than 1,300 licences to various industries such as oil and gas, manufacturing, mineral processing and research.
“By granting these industries licences, it means that they have accepted the responsibility for the material's safety and security to prevent misuse as they are trained in handling radioactive or nuclear materials.”
“Additionally, licence holders should also ensure the safety of the public, its workers, and the environment from any radiological risk.”
“Atom Malaysia has ensured that incidents are at minimal levels due to the stringent annual inspections conducted on licence holders,” she said.
Educational collaborations, contributions
Aside from being an enforcement agency, Atom Malaysia has established strategic partnerships through memorandums of understanding (MoU) with multiple local and international entities.
Atom Malaysia also contributes its expertise to local universities such as Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Putra Malaysia, and Universiti Teknologi Petronas for R&D or training in its field of study.
Back in 2020, UKM conducted a review of the amang (rare earth) mineral factory in Perak to reconsider the exemption granted to the factory under Act 304. This is an example of collaborative regulatory research performed through strategic partnerships and MoUs with academia.
“Atom Malaysia contributed to this process by consulting with stakeholders and implementing legal processes before recommending to the government that those exemptions be re-evaluated,” she said, citing an example.
As an effective enforcement body, Atom Malaysia has trained different sectors and multiple stakeholders especially those on the frontlines such as the NSC, National Disaster Management Department, Customs Department, police and academia in the field of nuclear detection and security.
“By training them, they will be able to contribute to their respective fields effectively and impart similar knowledge within their sectors. This is how we ensure that everyone plays their individual role in national security, to protect Malaysia and her people from radiological risks.” – The Vibes, April 2, 2023
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