Training Centre for Radioecology in Slavutych (Ukraine) invites to collaborate

Training Centre for Radioecology was established within IAEA Project UKR/9/020 in 2001-2004 on the base of the International Radio-Ecology Laboratory of the Chornobyl Center for Nuclear Safety, Radioactive Waste and Radioecology, Ukraine.

The main objective of the project was to establish training facility for radioecology at the International Radioecology Laboratory (IRL) in the Chornobyl-contaminated area and to assist in improvement of the laboratory’s experimental capacities. The IRL was created in 1999 with participation of USA and Ukraine to harmonize and coordinate the environmental research in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. Its main goal is to investigate the biological and environmental effects of radioactive contamination in the Chornobyl accident zone. The Agency assisted through consultations and training of selected staff of the IRL and supply of special equipment for the laboratory. Three IRL staff members were trained in application of radio-ecological research, radiochemistry, in alpha-spectrometry of environmental samples and modern cytogenetic methods on mammals and GIS system. The main result of the project is that in cooperation with other partners, mainly from US and Ukraine, and the training centre was established at the IRL with a broad programme in radioecology and improved experimental capabilities. The training centre is able to study the environmental response of the Chornobyl Zone ecosystem to severe accident with radioactive contamination. Trained staff is able to maintain the centre and offer specialized trainings as well as to plan preventive measures against spread of radionuclides through water ways and wildlife vectors and minimize the radiological consequences in the case of potential future accidental release. The Training Centre of the IRL is now well equipped and offers international training events. (Training Programme see below (Appendix 1)).

Over the course of the Center’s activity the following trainings were performed:

1. The IAEA Train-The-Trainers Regional Workshops On Monitoring During Nuclear Or Radiological Emergency. Took part in the workshop:
   • 24 – 28 May 2004 – 25 delegates from 17 countries of Central Europe
   • 28 May – 4 June 2005 – 37 delegates from Hungarian Nuclear Society
   • 14 – 18 May 2007 – 13 delegates from South-East Asia
2. International Scientific Workshop “Airborne Releases and Their Spread in Anthropogenic and Natural Ecosystems” – 20 – 23 September 2005 -Organized by CRDF.
3. Participation in training:
   • Moldova (sponsored by IAEA) – Oleg Strajescu, 21 November – 21 December 2004. Liquid Scintillation analysis
   • Belarus (sponsored by IAEA) – Andrei Shastila, Liudmila Karol, 24 October – 24 November 2005. Ina Esaulenka, Natalia Varapayeva – 30 January – 30 February 2006. Modern radioanalytical methods used for analysis of radionuclide content in environmental samples.
   • Azerbaijan (sponsored by IAEA) – Ismayil Huseynov, Hasanaga Mamedov, 28 November – 28 December 2005. Azer Hajiev 29 May – 29 June 2005. Determination of radionuclides in environmental and radioactive waste samples by applying radiochemical and spectrometric procedures.
   • Iraq (sponsored by CRDF) – Ali Majeed Mahmood, Yousif Mushin Zayir, Alpha-, beta- spectrometry. Radiochemical analyses.
   • Iraq (sponsored by CRDF) – Assim Oleiwi Mahdi, Ahmad Shawqi Mohammed, 3 March – 17 March 2008. Investigation of radioactive contamination of some construction materials on the power and the research nuclear reactors.
   • Beliarus (sponsored by IAEA) – Uladzimir Karzhounik, 3 March – 2 May 2008. Modern radioanalytical methods used for analysis of radionuclide content in environmental samples.
   • Iraq (sponsored by Great Britain, Ministry of Finance and Industry, Department for Business and Regulatory Reforms) – 27 members, 7 June – 23 June 2008. Nuclear Facilities Characterization and Project Management: Using a MARSIMM Approach.
   • Belarus – Roman Nenashev, November 1, 2009 – December 1, 2009.
   • Belarus – Andrew Kuhtevich, November 1, 2009 – December 1, 2009 . Modern methods of radionuclide analysis in environmental samples. ·
     
   • Belarus – Liudmila Karol, November 1 , 2009 – January 15, 2010. Modern methods of radionuclide analysis in environmental samples.
   • Iraq – Fouzey H. Al-Musawi , Taisir Khudhair Abbas Al-Jumaili , Ali Hasan Faraj Al-Darraji , Abdullah Abdulrahman Ghadhban Al-Khailani , 17.10.2011 – 30.10.2011. Performing measurements on the liquid scintillation spectrometer, using different methods of samples preparation for analysis and cytogenetic methods. The fluorescent hybridization in situ (FISH).
   • Iraq – Ali Majid Mahmoud, Ali Abed Saadoon, Amer Abdulabbas Sakran, 14.11.2011 – 27.11.2011. Analysis of gamma – emitting radionuclides using semiconductor detector with Genie 2000 software.
   • Austria, the company «HOTZONE SOLUTIONS GROUP BV», 6 people, 09/26/2011- 30/09/2011. Radiation protection of the staff in areas contaminated by radioactive substances.
   • Austria, the company «HOTZONE SOLUTIONS GROUP BV», 6 people,
     16/04/ 2012 – 20/04/2012. Assessment of radiation situation in the contaminated area.
   • Iraq – 5 people, 07/05/2012 – 05/20/2012. Premature chromosome condensation.
   • Iraq – 3 people, 05/10/2012 – 05/25/2012. Alpha – spectrometry sample preparation by method of electrodeposition.
   • Austria, «HOTZONE SOLUTIONS GROUP BV» representatives, 4 people, 17 – 19.09.2012. Possibility of protective clothes testing in the Chernobyl zone.
   • Austria, «HOTZONE SOLUTIONS GROUP BV» representatives, 4 people, 22 – 26.10.2012. Radiation survey of areas to search and detect radioactively contaminated sectors.
   • Iraq – 5 people, 15 – 29.10.2012. Method of chromosomes differential staining.
   • Iraq. – 7 people, 08.04. – 12.04.2013. Gamma-spectrometry and measurement of total alfa-, beta- activity.
   • International – 60 people (Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, France, Czech Republic, Great Britain,  Germany, Italy, Austria), May 16-29, 2016. EDEN WP65. Large-scale demonstration in Prypyat.
   • International – 46 people (Ukraine, Germany), September 24-30, 2016. Practical Training i Ionizing Radiation Measurement within Chornobyl Exclusion Zone.

Training Centre for Radioecology invites all the interested organizations to collaborate!!!

(Appendix 1)

Programme for Conduction of a Training Course: Procedure to Measure Sr-90 Activity
Concentration in Water Samples Using a Sr-resin Selective Sorbent

The training course is targeted at study of the procedure for Sr-90 radiochemical analysis in water samples. A practical part of the course allows in practice to fix the obtained theoretical knowledge by means of performing individual measurements of Sr-90 activity in real samples using a modern equipment. Under the testing results, a certificate of a standard pattern is issued.

A theoretical part is targeted at study of the following:

1. Fundamental principles of extraction chromatography.
2. Technical characteristics of a modern ion-exchange Sr-resin.
3. Measurement principles of radioactivity at a liquid scintillation spectrometer (LSS). Analysis of technical characteristics of the contemporary LSSs.
4. Measurement principles of radioactivity at a gas-flow proportional counter (GFPC). Research of technical characteristics of the contemporary GFPCs.

A practical part includes the following:

1. Liquid media sampling.
2. Preparation for operation of measurement and auxiliary equipment.
3. Making of agents’ and metals’ solutions including making Strontium and Yttrium carriers, as well as their intra-laboratory certification.
4. Determination of counting efficiency of beta-particles for the GFPC and LSS.
5. Carrying out of analysis:

4. • Preliminary preparation of a water sample;
   • Concentration of Sr-90 from the water sample along with its stable carrier;
   • Purification of Sr-90 from other radionuclides and attendant macroelements by means of the procedure for selective ion-exchange chromatography using the ion-exchange Sr-resin.
   • Preparation of Sr-90 counting sample;
   • Determination of a chemical yield coefficient;
   • Measurement of speed of the beta-particles’ count at the GFPC and LSS from the made counting sample;
   • Analysis of results of Sr-90 activity concentration’s measurement for the results received at the GFPC;
   • Analysis of results of Sr-90 activity concentration’s measurement for the results received at the LSS.

6. Drawing up of measurement records and control of measurements’ quality.

The programme for the training course is estimated for two weeks.

Our address:
P.O. Box 151,
7/1, 77th Gvardiis’ka Dyviziya str.,
Slavutych, Kyiv Region, Ukraine, 07100.
Andrey M. Maksimenko
Head of The Research Technical Support Department
International Radioecology Laboratory
Tel./Fax +38 04479 6 15 62
e-mail: amaksimenko@chornobyl.net
www.chornobyl.net