8th South American IRPA Regional Congress

The Eighth South American IRPA Regional Congress was opened by Jorge Anselmo Puerta Ortiz, Congress Vice President, on Monday, October 11.  The South American Congress is the final IRPA Regional Congress before the next International Congress – IRPA 13 – to be held in Glasgow in May 2012.  The Congress has been co-sponsored by several national and international organizations including IAEA, PAHO, WHO and FRALC, the Radiation Protection Federation of Latin America and Caribbean.

From left: Ronald Pacheo, IAEA; Hėctor Manuel Quiroz, Department of Health, State of Antioquia; Kenneth Kase, IRPA President; Eduardo Medina Gironzini, FRALC President; Anselmo Puerta, Congress Vice President; Pablo Jimėnez, PAHO

The congress drew 215 registered participants from the region, as well as the U.S. and Europe.  The Inaugural Address titled "Paradigm International Radiation Protection and its Consequences: Risk Allocation and Effects" was presented by Abel Gonzalez, ICRP and former member of the IRPA Executive Council.

The afternoon session was devoted to the Associate Societies Forum that is now a key feature of the regional congress structure. This allows an important exchange of information between the regional IRPA Associate Society representatives and attending IRPA Executive Council members.  IRPA President, Ken Kase opened the session with a review of IRPA developments since IRPA 12 in Buenos Aires.  He summarized a proposed rule change that will require submission of nominations for the Executive Council 90 days prior to the International Congress.  He also addressed the issue of regional representation on the IRPA E.C.

IRPA Publications Director, Dick Griffith provided a brief overview of the IRPA Web Site.  He addressed the question of how to make the Web Site more attractive and useful to the Spanish speaking community, and finished by inviting Congress participants to submit suggestions for improving the Web Site. The Forum concluded with a series of short presentations by Associate Society representatives and a presentation by Leopoldo Arranz, former IRPA E.C. member and Ex-President of the Spanish Society for Radiation Protection on the SEPR activities.