Applied environmental metrology for studying health-pollution interactions

Nuclear and isotopic techniques are valuable tools in assessing the levels of environmental pollution by toxic elements and for studying how these contaminants affect human health. More than 90 counterparts from 55 countries around the world have participated in projects on these topics, supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), during last ten years. With the support of the IAEA, for example, an appropriate metrology for compositional characterization of size fractionated airborne particulate matter was developed, verified and implemented in more than 40 countries. This paper reviews the development and application of environmental metrology tools involving nuclear analytical and isotopic techniques, as seen from the particular perspective of IAEA programmes.