Over twenty nuclear scientists from the Asia Pacific Region participated in a 5-day training course on 21-25 May that aimed to further enhance skills in data interpretation and source apportionment. The training was hosted by the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute which represents the Philippine government to the Regional Cooperation Programme (RCA) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The IAEA/RCA program on air pollution in the region is now almost 10 years in implementation. The initial stage of the program has contributed to installation of skills and facilities to monitor air particulate matter and to identify of their sources of origin using nuclear and other advanced techniques. The program is now increasingly using meteorological models to map the particulates’ pathways through the air and locate spatially the particulate source. Quantitative and reliable knowledge of the sources of various pollutant emissions is important to ensure that regulatory actions are taken on sources that are the most polluting and to ensure that the desired improvement of air quality is achieved.

The training course involved lectures and hands-on computer work where the participating scientists from the governments in the region used their own data to apply the exercises. The training ended today with a half-day symposium on "Nuclear Analytical Techniques Applications in Air Pollution Studies: Case Studies for Selected Cities in the Asia Pacific Region". Six case studies from Bangladesh, Indonesia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines and Viet Nam were presented showcasing that practical use can be made from highly sophisticated nuclear technology. Dr. Philip Hopke of the Clarkson University, USA, one of the trainors in the course, also presented results of his own study using the same nuclear analytical techniques in evaluating air pollution impacts of ship emissions.

May Ajero, Coordinator of the Ambient Air Quality Unit of the Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia) Secretariat thanked the scientists and researchers involved in the IAEA/RCA program for their contribution to advancing the level of urban air quality management in their own countries and in the region as a whole by providing sound science as basis of policy making. "The challenge is for scientists to come out of their laboratories and assist CAI-Asia in turning the results of the studies into useful input for decision-making - in identifying control strategies to reduce emissions and to evaluate the effectiveness of existing air quality regulations" Ajero adds.

For more information on the training course and the IAEA/RCA programme activities, please visit: http://www.rcaro.org/.