ALMERA network
The ALMERA network (Analytical Laboratories for the Measurement of Environmental Radioactivity) was established by the IAEA in 1995, and is a cooperative effort of analytical laboratories world-wide. Members of the network are nominated by their respective IAEA Member States as those laboratories which would be expected to provide reliable and timely analysis of environmental samples in the event of an accidental or intentional release of radioactivity.
The IAEA helps the ALMERA network of laboratories to maintain their readiness by coordination activities including organization of meetings, by development of standardized methods for sample collection and analysis, and by conducting interlaboratory comparison exercises and proficiency tests as a tool for external quality control.
ALMERA currently (September 2009) consists of 119 laboratories representing 74 countries. The Agency's Seibersdorf Laboratory in Austria and its Marine Environment Laboratory in Monaco are additional members of the network. A full listing of the current ALMERA member laboratories is given in the ALMERA newsletter.
The Chemistry Unit of the Physics, Chemistry and Instrumentation (PCI) Laboratory at the Agency's Seibersdorf Laboratory in Austria is the central coordinator of the ALMERA network's activities.
To facilitate interactions between the ALMERA laboratories, the network is subdivided into the following regional groups:
- Africa
- Europe
- Middle East
- Asia Pacific
- North and Latin America
Each regional group is coordinated by an ALMERA regional coordinating centre. The current coordinating centres are the IAEA Laboratories Seibersdorf (Austria) for the Africa, Europe and Middle East regions, the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS, Republic of Korea) for the Asia-Pacific region, and the Instituto de Radioprotecao e Dosimetria (IRD, Brazil) for the North and Latin America region.