Industrial Applications and Chemisty Section

Project Code/Title I.1.02: Quality assurance in nuclear analytical and radiochemical techniques

 Rationale : In recent years, the International Atomic Energy Agency has helped many institutions in developing Member States to set up nuclear analytical laboratories through assistance via technical cooperation and coordinated research projects, expert services, and fellowship awards. Some of these laboratories have now matured to approach close to self sustainability by providing service analysis for customers in many fields, including geological prospecting, environmental contamination survey or biomedical investigations.

Internationally accepted quality standards such as the ISO 17025 are in process of implementation in many developing countries. Member States, however, still need practical assistance in establishment of an efficient quality system according to ISO 17025. Training material aims to facilitate the implementation of internationally accepted quality principles and to promote attempts by Member States’ laboratories to obtain accreditation for nuclear analytical techniques.

New applications of nuclear analytical techniques have been discussed at international conferences and are reported in publications in international journals. The development of neutron activation analysis (NAA) for the assessment of halogenated organic pollutants (pesticides, etc.) in the environment is going to expand the analytical capabilities beyond the trace element determination.

Many research reactors in Member States could profit from a development, which has capability to enhance the sensitivity for determination of trace contaminants. New developments in the field of neutron generators and accelerator based analytical techniques will be explored by organizing technical meetings. Also the important field of forensic analysis will be introduced to stimulate nuclear analytical laboratories to embark on that subject.

 Objective : To enhance quality of results of nuclear analytical laboratories and assist Member States in accreditation of their practice of nuclear analytical techniques. To train radiochemists for sustainability of nuclear knowledge and promoting of new developments in nuclear analytical techniques.