The document officially introduces the term “particle accelerator” into the legal framework, defined as equipment or a facility that accelerates particles while emitting ionizing radiation with an energy of more than 1 MeV.
“The current law on nuclear and radiological activities, which lists devices that use electromagnetic radiation and isotopes, fails to mention an extremely necessary and important device. This is a particle accelerator (which allows for the production of isotopes— Logos Press note). What are isotopes used for? For two very important purposes: detecting tumors of very small sizes, ranging from the microscopic level to those that have spread throughout the body,” noted the bill’s author, Adrian Belyi, chairman of the Committee on Social Protection, Health Care, and Family Affairs.
According to him, Moldova currently imports isotopes from Bucharest; however, this process is severely limited due to their short half-lives, which range from 2 minutes for radioactive oxygen to 68 minutes for radioactive gallium.
“It is impossible to diagnose an entire sector of oncological diseases at an early stage or to effectively verify the effectiveness of treatment in the absence of these isotopes, which are administered to the patient and can then be identified using PET scans or tomography equipment. Consequently, this is where the technical aspect of legislative intervention comes into play,” Beliy noted.
The need for these changes stems from the complex situation in the field of oncology. Every year in Moldova, 10,000 people are diagnosed with cancer for the first time, and the total number of such patients reaches 45,000.
“The problem is that most cancers are diagnosed at advanced stages, when treatment is much less effective and extremely expensive,” said Belyi.
… As well as for industrial purposes
In addition to medicine, the equipment is planned to be used for research and industrial purposes, for example, to conduct non-destructive testing of buildings and structures.
As Logos Press has previously reported, the current law applies to the operation of ionizing radiation sources and particle accelerators exclusively in the context of radiation therapy. The proposed initiative aims to replace this wording with a broader one. It will cover the use of this equipment for medical purposes (radiotherapy, production of radiopharmaceuticals), industrial purposes (non-destructive testing, material modification), and scientific research.
Deputy Ana Oglynda: “The proposed changes create the conditions for attracting investment in state-of-the-art medical technologies to support the implementation of the national cancer control program. The bill clearly defines the responsibilities of private operators and private medical institutions, and it clearly sets out requirements for training and ongoing monitoring to protect human health and the environment.”
Seventy-four members of parliament voted in favor of the bill. It is scheduled to be adopted in the second reading.
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