A Regional Training Course on Environmental Monitoring of Radionuclides and Assessment of Exposures to the Public took place in Beijing, China, from 18-22 May 2015. Nineteen participants from Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Syria, territories under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority and Thailand attended the training. Lecturers were from Hungary, Italy and Korea.
The course was held within the framework of IAEA's regional technical cooperation project RAS/9/069 "Harmonizing Approaches and Measures for Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment in Line with the International Safety Standards" in cooperation with the Government of China through the State Environmental Protection Administration's Nuclear Safety Centre.
The training course was designed to support those organizations in need of strengthening their capacities that are necessary for the development and implementation of environmental and source monitoring programmes, for assessing and controlling public exposure to radiation due to radioactive discharges during normal operation of facilities, in the Asia and the Pacific region. Lectures and presentations were supported by information exchanges and topical discussions.
As a result, the course participants were adequately informed about the IAEA safety standards that are related to the source and environmental monitoring and to the assessment and control of public exposure. They acquired an understanding of the principles and technological aspects of environmental monitoring for radiation protection purposes, along with the fundamental principles of laboratory measurement techniques for the analysis of alpha, beta and gamma emitting radionuclides and the use of reference materials for the quality of the laboratories. The participating countries are now better equipped with knowledge for the definition of sampling strategies and approaches as well as analytical methods used for terrestrial, aerial and marine environmental monitoring. In addition, important information of the practical experience related to source and environmental sampling, measurement techniques, laboratory techniques and analysis of results was provided.
The course atmosphere was marked with active participation, enthusiasm, professional advice and patient discussions. Assessing the results, participants' achievements and the work of local organizers, one of the lecturers noted perfect organization, warm hospitality and "a week of memorable experience." He concluded by saying: "The training course and the many discussions held were very informative and provided fresh incentive and encouragement for the future work."
The training course was funded by the European Union (EU). RAS/9/069 is one of the five TC safety-related projects in Asia and the Pacific supported by the EU as part of a larger European Union initiative to enhance nuclear safety around the world. The EU supports IAEA technical cooperation activities through the Nuclear Safety Cooperation Instrument.
| Project RAS/9/069 is carried out with funding by the European Union and the IAEA. |
