Arthur Sinodinos (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable senator for his question and his great interest in all matters scientific and technical. ANSTO—the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation—is playing a key role in exploring the causes and solutions for serious diseases around the world. In particular, chronic kidney disease of unknown aetiology is a serious public health issue in Sri Lanka, disproportionately affecting rice farmers in the north of the country.

Last month ANSTO entered into an MOU with the Sri Lankan Presidential Task Force on Prevention of Chronic Kidney Disease. I had the pleasure of taking the President of Sri Lanka to ANSTO's Lucas Heights reactor, where ANSTO's CEO, the indefatigable Dr Adi Paterson, showed him the world-leading capacity we have for groundbreaking research in nuclear medicine. The Sri Lankan deputy foreign minister visited the Australian Synchrotron at the end of March this year and opened discussions with Dr Paterson on this collaboration. This is very exciting. It sets the framework for some critical work to be done. Much of ANSTO's landmark and national research infrastructure could be employed to investigate this particular matter.

According to WHO—the World Health Organization—one possible cause of this chronic kidney disease matter is heavy metals in drinking water. ANSTO's groundwater research team can conduct elemental analysis of groundwater from hotspots for chronic disease to determine the heavy metals present in the water supply. The WHO has also suggested the use of agrochemicals as a potential cause of kidney disease. It is possible the facilities at either the Synchrotron or the Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering could investigate this link. Researchers from the University of Queensland and Monash University have previously used the X-ray fluorescence microscopy at the Australian Synchrotron to examine renal biopsies for CKDu patients from Sri Lanka.