Shun Oshita (Lecturer)
Introduction
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), an intergovernmental organization established in 1957 and headquartered in Vienna, Austria, is not only about weapons and power plants—it also advances health, safeguards food and water, and fosters sustainability.
While many people associate the IAEA with danger and risk—nuclear weapons proliferation or nuclear accidents—there is another face of the IAEA that is far less known: contribution to health care, agriculture, environmental protection, water resource management, and disaster response. This lesser-known aspect of the IAEA plays a crucial role in enhancing human well-being.
Although the IAEA is often viewed and called the “United Nations’ Nuclear Watchdog”, monitoring countries like Iran, its contributions extend far beyond inspections. Through regional frameworks such as the Regional Cooperation Agreement (RCA) in Asia and the Pacific, the IAEA supports a wide range of projects aligned with nine of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This brief comment highlights five areas where the IAEA is quietly transforming lives.
1. Medical Applications: From Cancer Therapy to Infectious Disease Control
Among the most widely recognized peaceful uses of nuclear technology is radiation therapy for cancer. By delivering targeted doses of radiation to destroy cancer cells, this technique is used in hospitals around the world. But nuclear-derived techniques go further.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, PCR testing became a household term. What many may not realize is that these tests are based on nuclear-derived technologies for detecting minute amounts of genetic material. The IAEA supported over 150 countries by providing equipment, training, and guidance to enable early diagnosis and containment of infectious diseases. Moving forward, the IAEA will continue to assist developing countries in building their capacity to detect future outbreaks quickly and effectively.
2. Supporting Agriculture: Reducing Crop Damage without Chemicals
Nuclear technology also plays a role in food security. One of the most innovative applications is the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), which involves sterilizing male insects such as fruit flies or mosquitoes with radiation and releasing them into the wild. When these sterile males mate with females, no offspring are produced, reducing pest populations over time.
This technique has been successfully used in Japan to eliminate the melon fly (Bactrocera cucurbitae) that once devastated crops in Okinawa. It is also employed in Africa to control tsetse flies, which transmit sleeping sickness to humans, and in Latin America to suppress parasitic flies that harm livestock. Although ecological concerns remain, the ability to manage pests sustainably—without relying on chemical pesticides—is a significant benefit of nuclear-assisted agriculture.
3. Monitoring the Environment: Making Pollution Visible
Another powerful capability of nuclear science is its ability to detect trace elements in the environment. Techniques such as neutron activation analysis and isotope-based monitoring allow scientists to measure pollution levels in air, water, and soil with high precision.
The IAEA’s Marine Environment Laboratories in Monaco, for instance, contributed to the analysis of water released into the ocean after the Fukushima Daiichi accident. The same labs also conducted environmental assessments in the Persian Gulf following the 1991 Gulf War, helping to track the impact of oil spills on marine ecosystems. These efforts provide objective, science-based information essential for international cooperation and accountability.
4. Tracing Water: Following the Journey of Every Drop
Water is more than just H₂O. Different water sources contain slightly different isotopic compositions—what scientists call “isotopic fingerprints.” By analyzing the ratios of heavy hydrogen (²H) and heavy oxygen (¹⁸O) isotopes, it is possible to trace the origin of water and its movement through the environment.
This technique is especially valuable for managing groundwater. It helps identify pollution sources, assess how quickly aquifers are replenished, and determine the reliability of springs during emergencies. In Japan, it has been used to evaluate whether spring water in mountain regions can serve as an emergency water supply. The IAEA promotes this approach in water-stressed areas such as sub-Saharan Africa, offering technical cooperation and training, as well as facilitating Japan–Africa partnerships to strengthen local capacity.
5. Assessing Structural Safety: Seeing Inside without Destruction
After earthquakes or tsunamis, even buildings that remain standing may be unsafe. Non-destructive testing (NDT)—a lesser-known application of nuclear technology—enables inspectors to visualize the interior of concrete or metal structures without the need for dismantling them. By using radiation to scan for cracks or internal flaws, this method helps assess the structural integrity of buildings, bridges, and other types of transport infrastructure.
NDT has been utilized in post-disaster damage assessments in countries such as Japan and Nepal, and is widely applied in infrastructure maintenance worldwide. It enables cost-effective, timely, and safe evaluations, helping to reduce the risks of secondary disasters.
Conclusion
It is undeniable that the IAEA involves serious risks—nuclear weapons proliferation, and reactor accidents among them. However, focusing solely on these dangers overlooks the potential of the IAEA.
Notably, many of the IAEA’s peaceful activities introduced here do not involve either nuclear reactors or fission reactions. They rely instead on radiation, isotopes, or particle detection—technologies that are often invisible yet deeply embedded in modern life.
Albert Einstein, co-author of the Russell–Einstein Manifesto, once noted that while science produces means, it is up to human beings—through ethics, politics, and the humanities—to decide how those means are used. In that sense, the future of nuclear energy lies not only in technology, but in judgment. “Another face of the IAEA” reminds us that how we use science matters just as much as what science makes possible.