On the early morning hours of Thursday January 9th, 2020, fire destroyed four buildings located on Grenville Street, St. George’s. One of the buildings affected by the fire was the office of Dr. Terrence Marryshow. This building housed Dr. Marryshow’s laboratory which provided a wide range of services inclusive of X-Ray services. The equipment used to perform X-Rays contained a radiation source and if comprised can have very negative impact on the environment and persons exposed.
The Grenada Bureau of Standards along with the Ministry of Health visited the site on Friday January 10th, 2020 to conduct an assessment to determine if there were any significant levels of radiation present. With the cooperation of the fire department, the team was allowed access to the building and measurements were conducted. No significant levels of radiation were detected.
This incident highlights the importance of having the necessary regulatory and quality infrastructure established for addressing situations involving nuclear and radioactive sources. The Grenada Bureau of Standards and the Ministry of Health is currently working along with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in establishing the necessary infrastructure for the regulation of and monitoring of radioactive and nuclear sources in Grenada.
This would include establishing a database of all these sources, establishment of a monitoring programme for these sources, establishment of response protocol to deal with incidents involving these sources, and provision of basic equipment and training of personnel.
