Year
1995
Abstract
From September 1993 to March 1995 the IAEA has undertaken a series of sample collections as part of Task 3 of Programme 93+2 (environmental monitoring techniques for safeguards application). Emphasis in these field trials, mainly undertaken in the vicinity of nuclear facilities in 11 countries, was on shortrange monitoring. Protocols for the collection and handling of hydrological samples (high volume water filters, grab water, biota, sediments), vegetation, soil and surface swipes were established with the help of Member States. The analytical techniques available in Member States' laboratories and within the IAEA have demonstrated their capability to carry out extremely low-level radiochemical and isotopic measurements. The results indicate that environmental monitoring techniques can provide an effective tool for the detection of undeclared activities at declared sites. In particular on-site swipe sampling, combined with particle analysis, is a powerful tool for providing unambiguous information about past and current nuclear activities. Terrestrial and hydrological samples have shown activity specific signatures, depending on the the type and size of the nuclear operation, up to several kilometers away from the facilities.