1 minute read
Infographic: Life cycle of a sample
from Safeguards
by IAEA
Life cycle of a sample
By Jennifer Wagman
Environmental swipe sampling is one method used by the IAEA to verify the correctness and completeness of a State’s declaration of nuclear material and how it is used.
PLAN FOR VERIFICATION ACTIVITIES
Each year, inspectors, analysts, specialists and other technical experts plan activities to verify a State’s compliance with its safeguards obligations.
EQUIPMENT COLLECTION
Inspectors pick up packaged environmental sampling kits along with other equipment, such as lead-coated vials and other specially designed tools and equipment.
SAMPLE COLLECTION
Once at the sampling location, the inspector collects samples by wiping a cloth on a surface. The cloth can pick up minute traces of particles.
SAMPLE TRANSPORT
The cloth is individually placed in a plastic bag. All individually bagged cloth samples and paperwork are then stored together in a larger plastic bag, which is hand delivered to IAEA laboratories or shipped using a secure transport process.
Plastic bags Pre-inspection check samples
1 cm
Contents of an environmental sampling kit
Cotton swipes
10 cm
Paper
SAMPLE RECEIPT
Upon receipt, the IAEA laboratories screen samples for radioactivity and anonymize the samples using a special code. They are then distributed between the IAEA Environmental Sample Laboratory in Seibersdorf, Austria, and 16 laboratories across the world that are qualified for environmental sampling analysis.
SAMPLE ANALYSIS
Through various analytical techniques, laboratories determine different characteristics of a sample, such as uranium and plutonium isotopic composition. This information is then uploaded to a secure electronic database.
DATA EVALUATION
Analysts process and interpret the data to produce evaluation reports. Analysts compare these results with the State’s nuclear material declaration.
SAFEGUARDS CONCLUSIONS
State Evaluation Groups review the evaluation reports and all other safeguards relevant information available to the IAEA. These groups, which consist of inspectors, analysts, specialists and other experts assess a State’s compliance with its safeguards obligations. These findings are published in the annual Safeguards Implementation Report.
