Researchers trained at the IAEA Environment Laboratories in Monaco are applying various nuclear techniques back in their home countries to preserve the marine environment. The techniques are helping the former IAEA fellows better protect their oceans and seas — from fighting toxic algal blooms to tracing pollutants in water.
“To foster sustainable development, it is not only important that researchers establish the techniques back in their countries, but that they also transfer the knowledge and expertise they have gained to their colleagues,” said Marie-Yasmine Dechraoui Bottein, a research scientist at the IAEA Environment Laboratories. A few months after training the fellows, IAEA experts visit the countries to provide further advice and support them in ensuring the full operation of the laboratories, she added.
Through fellowships, the IAEA’s technical cooperation programme strengthens capacities and expands opportunities for professionals working with nuclear science and technology.
Last year, for example, experts from Cuba, Morocco, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Tunisia had the opportunity to participate in specialized fellowships. This article provides an overview of what some of them learned.
Helping fight toxic algal blooms
Biotoxins — toxic substances of biological origin — are a global problem. They come in many forms and can be produced by nearly any type of living organism, from animals to fungi. When toxin-producing algae grow in large quantities, they can affect marine organisms. These phenomena are called harmful algal blooms, or HABs.
If people eat seafood contaminated by biotoxins, they can be poisoned and their lives threatened. It is therefore important to detect biotoxins before the seafood reaches people’s plates.
Last year, fellows from affected countries, including Morocco, the Philippines and Tunisia, spent between one and six months at the IAEA laboratories, learning how to detect biotoxins in seafood to better manage HABs.
“Our laboratory will be the first in Morocco to use the technique I learned during my training in Monaco,” said Jaouad Naouli, who works at the Water and Climate Division of Morocco’s National Centre for Nuclear Energy, Sciences and Technology (CNESTEN).
Naouli’s training included learning to apply the receptor binding assay (RBA) technique for biotoxin analysis. RBA focuses on the properties of biotoxins and on the interactions between biotoxins and the receptors they bind with. By using radiolabelled biotoxins, this method allows scientists to determine the quantity of toxins that are present in seafood or in seawater.
“With this highly specific, sensitive and rapid technique, we will have a stronger biotoxin monitoring programme in Morocco,” Naouli added.
