Chemistry Unit
Radioecology
Radioecology is an important part of radiation impact assessments and planning for environmental remediation. In addition, study of the behaviour of radionuclides can lead to better understanding of more general environmental processes, and of the behaviour of non-radioactive pollutants.
Some Chemistry Unit activities in radioecology are:
- Provision of training and assistance to IAEA Member States to enhance their capability for evaluating radionuclide migration, geochemical and biochemical enrichment, and radiation effects on humans and ecosystems.
- Support for and coordination of radioecological research activities within the IAEA, Member States and international organisations.
- Provision of assistance to Member States who wish to assess site-specific past, present and future radiation levels in terrestrial environments, and to adopt suitable remediation strategies after re-leases of radionuclides into the environment.
- Support in the identification of suitable radioecological models for transfer and impact assessment by making available a compilation of these models and data to the IAEA Member States.
- Contribution to the development of international guides and rules in the area of radiation protection of the environment. This includes documents related to evaluation proposals for the location of nuclear facilities, radioecological monitoring, and identification of optimal remediation actions.