Development programme of analytical techniques for ultra trace amounts of nuclear materials in environmental samples for safeguards - from a viewpoint of speciation technology

As a part of the strengthened safeguards system, the IAEA has adopted the environmental sample analysis method to verify the non-existence of undeclared nuclear facilities and activities by analysing samples taken at inside and outside of facilities. So the authors have started to develop analytical techniques for ultra trace amounts of nuclear materials in environmental samples. In this paper, the program and current situation for the development of the bulk and particle analysis techniques are reported and their possible application as speciation techniques is discussed. (authors)