IAEA-TEL-2012-03 World Wide Open Proficiency Test

Status: Reporting ongoing, further extension of reporting deadline to 13^th of May 2013

World-wide proficiency test, IAEA-TEL-2012-03, on the determination of anthropogenic gamma-emitters in water in the presence of natural background, of radio-caesium in hay and of both natural and anthropogenic radionuclides in soil samples

The IAEA Terrestrial Environmental Laboratory is planning to organise a proficiency test on the determination of the anthropogenic and natural radionuclides in water, hay and soil samples according to the following schedule:

• Target group: World-wide laboratories who are interested in the determination of the anthropogenic and natural radionuclides in environmental samples
• Matrix:
  • Tap water, spiked with anthropogenic radionuclides and with 226Ra to simulate a natural background.
  • Hay, collected in Austria shortly after the Chernobyl accident "naturally contaminated" with 137Cs and spiked with 134Cs isotope.
  • Soil, from "Jeju Island" (Korea, Republic of), containing anthropogenic and natural radionuclides. The sample is milled, sieved under the 150 micron particle size and sterilized with 20 kGy gamma dose.
• Sample Set: Each participant will receive three water samples, 500 g each, one hay sample (150 g) and one soil sample (200 g).
• Target analytes (tentative):
  in water: unknown gamma-emitters,
  in hay: ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs,
  in soil: ⁹⁰Sr, ¹³⁷Cs, TRU and natural radioisotopes.
  These analytes will be evaluated against pre-established reference values and associated uncertainties.
• Target dates (tentative):
  
  • 22 Oct. 2012 - Opening date for on-line registration
  • 16 Nov. 2012 - Closing date for on-line registration
  • 1st Dec. 2012 - Organizer confirmation of the participation in the PT
  • 14 Jan 2013 - Shipment of the samples
  • !13 May 2013 - Results submission deadline!
  • 03 June 2013 - Individual evaluation reports
  • 30 July 2013 - Draft of summary report
  • 30 December 2013 - Final of summary report
• For more information contact the PT officer Mr. Alexander Trinkl at: a.trinkl@iaea.org