The Agency's Laboratories Seibersdorf and Vienna
Development of a rapid method for measuring Sr-90 in milk
The rapid determination of Sr-90 in milk samples remains a difficult technical problem, but an important problem to solve in order for laboratories to be ready in case of radiological emergency. At the request of Asia-Pacific members of the ALMERA laboratory network, a special regional ALMERA meeting was held in Daejong, Republic of Korea from 10-12 December 2007 to decide on a plan for development of a suitable method.
The meeting was hosted and organised by the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, which is the ALMERA focal point laboratory for the Asia-Pacific region. Other laboratories represented were IAEA Seibersdorf laboratories (coordinator of the ALMERA network), the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, the National Radiation Laboratory (New Zealand), the National Nuclear Energy Agency (Indonesia), the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency, and the Hungarian Agricultural Authority (an IAEA collaborating center).
The laboratories taking part in this project decided to carry out a set of trials of three potential methods for rapid determination of Sr-90 in milk, these trials being split between the laboratories on a collaborative basis. It is intended to present the preliminary results at the next ALMERA coordination meeting, which will be held in Brazil in 2008.
