The University of Southampton has been selected to help coordinate radioactivity monitoring and emergency response in Europe.
Southampton has been named by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as one of two Regional Coordinating Laboratories in Europe - a key component of the worldwide network of Analytical Laboratories for the Measurement of Environmental Radioactivity (ALMERA).
The ALMERA network consists of 206 laboratories in 91 countries. It provides reliable and timely analysis of radioactive isotopes in the environment and food samples, both for routine monitoring and emergency response.
This assessment is crucial for authorities to understand the scale of radioactive contamination and respond accordingly.
Radioactive isotopes, or radionuclides, are atoms that release radiation as they decay. They can occur naturally or be produced by nuclear reactors or during the use of nuclear weapons.
These isotopes have various uses, from medicine through to industry, but pose risks to health and the environment if they are released into the environment through improper waste disposal or accidents, such as the Chernobyl or Fukushima disasters.
As an associate coordinating centre for the Europe region, consisting of 99 laboratories, the University of Southampton will serve as a point of contact for the member laboratories, provide support for new applicants considering joining ALMERA, and represent European labs at global coordination meetings.
Dr Pawel Gaca , Principal Enterprise Fellow and Radiochemist at the University of Southampton, and a Technical Manager for GAU-Radioanalytical laboratory said: "This role allows the University of Southampton to play an active part in developing and delivering proficiency tests, assessing reference materials and providing specialist training, benefiting both national and international nuclear energy safety and emergency response readiness.
"It is especially important in the context of nuclear decommissioning programmes in countries like the UK with highly developed and mature nuclear energy infrastructure. There is a pressing need for suitable reference materials and analytical methods to support the safe and accurate assessment of legacy nuclear waste and infrastructure. By elevating this to IAEA, we should be able to address in a shared international effort.
"Our appointment to the steering panel for the ALMERA network confirms GAU-Radioanalytical and the University of Southampton as respected and reliable partners in the field of nuclear safety."
Southampton will hold the role of the associate regional centre for the next five years alongside Physikalish-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), a metrological institute in Germany, appointed as a European regional co-ordination centre.
