Organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency in cooperation with the Government of Australia through the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO)

Background Information

Regional activities in the filed of air pollution monitoring were initiated in 1997 under a regional project "Isotopic and Related Techniques to Assess Air Pollution" (RAS8082). Under this project, standard sampling equipment for airborne particles in both fine and coarse size modes was provided along with software and training for data analysis and interpretation, quality assurance, and improvement of analytical techniques. Samples have been collected by the participating countries and analyzed by a variety of nuclear analytical methods that provide multielemental composition data. An initial network of end users for the data and the resulting source apportionment was established.
In recent years, RCA Member States have started to set in place policies and legislation for air pollution abatement. The capability developed among the project counterparts to perform source apportionment, i.e. to determine the contributing source of APMs, is extremely important for the development of effective and efficient air quality management strategies which also include the understanding of national and transboundary sources of pollution. In 2003 another regional project on "Improved Information about Urban Air Quality management" (RAS7013) was approved. A major objective of the project is to obtain a sufficiently large set of high-quality regional data characterizing airborne particulate matter (APM) in fine and coarse breathable modes such that (i) a regional database can be developed that contains selected data characterizing the aerosols in the region, (ii) advanced receptor models can be employed to provide more detailed and accurate descriptions of the types and location of pollution sources, and (iii) the effectiveness of actions taken by participating countries to reduce the concentrations and impact of particulate pollution can be assessed. As the amount of data expands, there are opportunities for developing links with additional end users who might be interested in utilizing the data for air pollution exposure assessments or epidemiological studies.

Other financial and regional organizations were also known to support air pollution activities in several MSs in such as World Bank in Bangladesh; Asian Development Bank in the Philippines; the UN ESCAP Regional Action Plan that covers air pollution; and ASEAN agreement on Haze.

Purpose of the Meeting

The main purposes of the meeting are to present, review and discuss the current issues in the field of air pollution pertinent to transboundary effects, visibility, climate change, health and agriculture. The meeting will also define the most important and urgent problems in this field in the RCA region that require urgent solution through coordinated regional efforts.

Nature of the Meeting

The meeting will include presentations by the invited experts and the participants from the RCA Region. Sub-groups activities and round table discussions of the relevant topics are also foreseen.

Expected Outputs

• Presentations and review of AP issues related to (i) transboundary air pollution, (ii) visibility, (iii) climate change, (iv) health impacts and (v) agriculture impacts
• Identification of major AP issues for the RCA region and their pathway to sustainability
• Recommendations on possible future RCA programmes in air quality management

Application Procedures

Nominations including local participants should be submitted on the standard IAEA application form for Meetings/Workshops. Completed forms should be endorsed by and returned through the official channels established (the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Atomic Agency or the Office of United Nations Development Programme). They must be received by the International Atomic Energy Agency, P. O. Box 100, A-1400 Vienna Austria, not later than 28 January 2005. It would not be possible to consider nominations received after this date or applications, which have not been routed through one of the aforementioned channels.

Advanced nominations by facsimile (+00-43-1-2600-7), or e-mail (Official.Mail@IAEA.ORG) are welcomed. The facsimile/e-mail should contain the following basic information about the candidate: name, age, academic qualifications, present position including exact nature of duties carried out, proficiency in English and full working address including telephone/facsimile numbers.