title: Results of the intercalibration study of laboratories involved in assessing the environmental consequences of the Chernobyl accident.
abstract: Within the framework of the International Chernobyl Project, the IAEA's Seibersdorf Laboratories organized an intercalibration exercise among some of the laboratories which were involved in assessing the environmental contamination in the USSR due to the accident. The objective was to assess the reliability of the radioanalytical data for food and environmental samples, which were used to assess the doses. In the initial study reference materials from the stocks of the IAEA's Analytical Quality Control Services (AQCS) were re-labelled and submitted to 71 laboratories as blind samples. These natural matrix materials included samples of milk (containing 2 different levels of radioactivity), soil, air filters and clover. The concentrations of radionuclides in these samples were known from previous intercalibration exercises. The overall range in performance was broad, which is similar to what has been observed in previous international intercomparisons. The results obtained by gamma-ray spectrometry tended to be somewhat underestimated, on average. On the other hand, the laboratories showed an overall tendency to overestimate 90Sr and possibly 239Pu, which were analysed radiochemically. The intercalibration exercise is continuing with nine materials, including: soil, grass, hay and milk powder contaminated with fallout from the Chernobyl accident. These materials, which were prepared by laboratories in the USSR, are now being tested by AQCS prior to future intercomparison exercises. Work with these materials is expected to continue for several years.
authors.affiliation: International Atomic Energy Agency, Agency's Laboratories, Seibersdorf, Austria.
authors.forename: E L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Valkovic
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Strachnov
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dekner
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Danesi
mesh_terms: D000059:Accidents; D002138:Calibration; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D007753:Laboratories / Q000592:standards*; D009688:Nuclear Reactors; D011868:Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D014455:Ukraine
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D011868:Radioisotopes