Radiological monitoring and environmental sampling and analysis during or after an emergency were key topics at an IAEA workshop held in August in Fukushima Prefecture.
The 33 emergency preparedness and response (EPR) experts who took part in the workshop came from 11 IAEA Member States that are part of the IAEA Response and Assistance Network (RANET).
Member States that are part of RANET have shared information with the IAEA about their capabilities to assist and advise other countries in a nuclear or radiological emergency on request, enabling the Agency to swiftly facilitate support.
Workshop participants practiced performing radiological monitoring and environmental sampling and analysis in areas that remain evacuated following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. They also practiced using the IAEA International Radiation Monitoring Information System for reporting and visualising the collected data.
In addition to enabling participants to practise environmental monitoring, the 27-31 August 2018 workshop also included briefings on the 2018 edition of an IAEA EPR publication on RANET.
“Practicing RANET procedures within a workshop was a unique opportunity that helped bolster response and assistance capabilities in the countries that took part,” said Peder Kock, an analyst with the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority. “Workshops of this kind help strengthen RANET, which benefits all IAEA Member States.”
The workshop was held at the IAEA RANET Capacity Building Centre in Miharu, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.
