NUCLEAR ANALYTICAL-CHEMISTRY FOR THE IAEA ACTION TEAM IN IRAQ

At the end of the 1991 Gulf War the U.N. Security Council Resolution c alled upon IAEA, assisted by the U.N. Special Commission, to carry out inspections of all Iraqi nuclear installations. The IAEA Action Team succeeded in implementing, on very short notice, a comprehensive syste m of inspection activities, including sampling and analysis at the Age ncy's Laboratories and other laboratories in Member States. The Agency 's Laboratories developed and implemented an analytical strategy with the aim to rapidly and accurately obtain the information necessary for verifying the Iraqi declarations. The analyses ranged from screening for alpha- and beta/gamma-emitters to accurate determinations of the a mounts and isotopic composition of the radionuclides and associated tr ace elements and compounds. The arsenal of methods included ultra-sens itive radiometric methods, mass spectrometry, neutron activation, X-ra y fluorescence and inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry. S elected results include the detection of uranium chloride compounds, s pecial composition steels, and quantitative accounting of uranium and plutonium production. The selectivity, sensitivity and reliability of the applied analytical techniques in conjunction with validated sampli ng procedures are essential components of an analytical measurements s ystem that can provide credible results.