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Advancing Environmental Sampling Techniques: IAEA's ALMERA Network Workshop in Switzerland

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Participants engaged in hands-on exercises, performing random systematic sampling in various contamination case study scenarios. 

Scientists from 25 countries have received IAEA training on environmental sampling analysis to help them mitigate the impacts of radioactivity in the environment.

The IAEA’s training workshop for the network of Analytical Laboratories for the Measurement of Environmental Radioactivity (ALMERA) focused on environmental sampling for radionuclide analyses. The event was hosted by the Spiez Laboratory in Schwarzenburg, Switzerland.

The workshop aimed to harmonize methodological practices among ALMERA laboratories and ensure consistent and reliable data across the network. Early to mid-career ALMERA network laboratory personnel were trained on environmental sampling for radionuclide analyses to implement systematic sampling approaches in their labs.

The IAEA assists countries in improving the quality assurance for measuring and monitoring radioactivity in the environment in accordance with ISO 17025, the international standard for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories.

“Sampling is the key to answering difficult questions and making robust decisions in any situation—existing, planned, or emergency,” said Marc Stauffer, Head of the Nuclear Chemistry Division at Spiez Laboratory. The ALMERA network provides reliable and timely analysis of environmental samples in the event of an accidental or intentional release of radioactivity. It has over 200 analytical laboratories in 90 countries.

Groups led by trainers from Spiez Laboratory’s Nuclear Chemistry Division discuss decision units and sampling strategies. Photo: (A.Lee Zhi Yi/IAEA)

The hands-on training and lectures, focused on the fundamental principles of environmental sampling, an overview of sampling strategies, and data quality considerations. Participants learned about techniques and tools used in sampling campaigns through field demonstrations. They were also trained to collect representative samples for site characterization in emergency and routine monitoring conditions.  A visit to the Spiez Laboratory and the Mühleberg Nuclear Power Plant, currently being dismantled, provided practical insights into real-world applications.

The workshop  brought together participants from 25 countries. Nine candidates from Cuba, Ethiopia, Hungary, Iran, Jamaica, Latvia, Malaysia, Nigeria and Türkiye participated through the financial support of the IAEA’s technical cooperation projects. Additionally, the IAEA’s Terrestrial Environmental Radiochemistry Laboratory supported the participation of Bosnia and Herzegovina trainees.

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