As part of the activities provided by company JAVYS, a.s., in the area of handling the radioactive materials of unknown origin (RMUO), company JAVYS collected the radioactive materials of unknown origin (RMUO) with a total weight of 1,207.26 kg in nine cases on the territory of the Slovak Republic in 2022.

These were mostly different parts of the military equipment, agricultural equipment, parts of pipelines or other contaminated materials. The heaviest RMUO was a safe deposit box collected from the railway station Bratislava - Vajnory with a weight of 442 kg.

Company JAVYS ensures the activities of tracking/searching, identifying and documenting the RMUO at the place of their reported occurrence. These materials are usually found at ironworks entrances, metallic scrap processors or municipal waste dumps. After their identification and documentation, radioactive materials of unknown origin are transported for further management to Jadrová a vyraďovacia spoločnosť, a.s. Materials meeting the limits for disposal at the National RadWaste Repository (NRR) in Mochovce are continuously processed and conditioned into a safe package form – fibre-concrete container and then transported to the NRR for disposal, thus definitively isolating them from the environment. The RMUO are collected in cooperation with the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic, Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic.

RMUO transported to company JAVYS, a. s., in 2022

In 2022, company JAVYS, a. s., based on the assignment from the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic and after mutual consultations and cooperation with the Public Health Authority of the Slovak Republic and Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic, also took over historical, unused institutional radioactive materials, which have long represented a radioactive burden, from the state medical and other facilities. This socially extremely important task, with the cooperation of all stakeholders, was primarily aimed at ensuring the safety and protection of the population and the environment, while  reducing the risk of possible misuse or illegal handling of these materials. Historical institutional radioactive materials (IRAM), which have been and are being stored for a long time in some medical facilities, research institutes, various medical laboratories, scientific workplaces, educational institutions, etc., throughout Slovakia, had been used, for example, in the treatment and diagnosis of patients or for research and scientific activities.

Company JAVYS, a. s., after taking them over, continues to handle them in a professional, safe, reliable, economically efficiently manner, while paying special attention to radiation protection of the population and environment protection.

List of organizations, from where the historical institutional radioactive materials were collected in 2022

Company JAVYS, a. s., is an authorised organisation for management and handling of orphan sources, radioactive waste of unknown origin, unused emitters and radioactive materials. By tracking, processing, storing/disposal and other related activities, the company protects the environment and health of the population.

Miriam Žiaková
Spokesperson