5th symposium on environmental radiochemical analysis 1–3 October 1986

xiii

5th Slmpomlun on Environmental Radlochemlcal Anal~sis

1 - 3 October 1986

The

Symposium

every

four

ations

was

the

Atomic

in

years by Government

associated

committee

fifth

with

consisted

Energy

Agriculture, Generating

the

of

organised

Educational Nuclear

British

Fisheries and

series

and

from

Nuclear

Food,

The

the

Fuels

the

the Radiochemical

approximately

and Industrial

Industry.

representatives

Authority,

Board

a

organising

United

plc,

Kingdom

Ministry

Central

Methods

organis-

of

Electricity

Group of the Royal

Society of Chemistry.

The

Symposium

chemists, discuss to

who their

give

an

analyse

provide

latest work

from

first over

than

from

the

50 papers

with and

Studies.

the measurement his

for

aim

environment.

and

for

In addition

studies

met

as

20 countries,

professional

biological

environmental

their was

materials,

present

approximately

and all

were

to

it was intended

scientists

to

radio-

who

apply

their

work.

165

willing

delegates to discuss

and results.

were presented

Determination

Activation

forum

and ideas.

to

their current procedures

More

a

environmental

methods

the

attended

to

opportunity

radiochemical Certainly

aimed

of

As was

on a variety

Natural expected

of

Radioactivity the majority

of artificially Copies

of topics

produced

the papers

ranging

to

Neutron

of papers

radionuclides are included

dealt in man

in these

proceedings.

The

Opening

Environmental for

the

Session

was

Measurements

Symposium,

led by Dr

H L Volchok,

Laboratory,

emphasising

the

New York, need

to

Director

of

the

who set the theme ensure

that

good,

xiv

Dr Herbert L. Volchok 1926-I 987

xv reliable

methods

environmental that

many

of

analysis

monitoring.

delegates

The

were

distribution

of

the emissions

at Chernobylo

sessions

but

were

timing

able

radionuclides

required

to in

of

as

the

basis

for

symposium

present

the

a

results

environment

was

some

have

been

such,

showing

the

resulting

This work had to be presented

nevertheless

all

from

in poster

included

in

these

proceedings.

The

committee

and

Training

would Centre

the Symposium, running

of

like at

the

meeting.

is

to

with

the

~mory

regret

of

that

clear

the

these proceedings

Herbert

the

L Volchok

New Jersey.

lived

to

occasion

offered

their methodology of

a

a

and

Sixth

died

of a heart

Lake,

New

PhD in Geochemistry and was

joined

Measurements

the

Laboratory

of the Atomic and

from Columbia

death

committee

US

29,

on April

of

Dr

wish

to

before

Department the

of

1987

in

to Wayne

6

in 1949, and MA

in 1952 and

as an adjunct

of

Health

in 1964.

Director

moving

University

of Environmental

(formerly

30

1926 in New York City

University

serving

Institute

Energy Commission) Technical

the

the

serving during World War II.

from Syracuse

currently

the New York University

of

attack

Jersey

a BA in Science

Volchok

and

He was born on October

in Woodcliff

respectively,

learnt

to his memory.

He received

President

the

the smooth

L Volchok

Symposium

He was a US Army veteran,

Dr

for hosting

organisation

committee

years ago.

and

UKAEA,

Education

for ensuring

that

Dr H e r b e r t

the

dedicate

and

of Sessions

the

in the series.

subsequent

Wayne,

particular,

Laboratory,

ensuring

Volchok

Dr

in

could freely discuss

successfully

Dedica~d

It

Harwell

It is

forum in which scientists

Symposium

thank,

and the Chairman

the

procedures,

to

professor

at

Medicine.

Energy's and

1955,

Environmental

Safety

Laboratory

Prior to that he was vice

Isotopes,

Inc

(now

Teledyne

xvi Isotopes) helped

a

private

create

in

corporation

1955.

in

This

Westwood,

organisation

research for the Atomic Energy Commission, and

other

government

New

agencies

on

Jersey

carried

which

out

he

contract

the Department of Defence

radiochemistry

and

environmental

radiation.

Since

1980,

Dr Volchok

Measurements National

Laboratory

Academy

Protection

and

Commissioner Reviewer, State of

of Health,

laboratory a

more

for

of Health.

threat

of

of

the

Atomic

international

was

Council at

the

to

city

New

to

drinking contaminate

over

100 scientific

and

served

United

Radiation

scientific

as

Nations as

well

committees

a

articles,

the

Expert Consultant Committee scientific

Scientific as

was a member of

on

expert

to

the

Committee

on

the

national

and

numerous

including

the

International

for his pioneering

efforts

in establishing

in global fallout from nuclear weapons

for

in

his

leadership

research

in a wide

environmental

reactor

water

for Radiation Metrology.

known

most

New York

he led the team

research programmes

and

of

as a Programme

City

officials

the

on Radiation

and Research,

York

to

invitation

he served

Laboratories

measured

made

Control,

Secretariat

He

consultant

In the Summer of 1985,

who

published

Quality

Committee

a

recently,

the International Atomic Energy Agency's

Effects

as

system with plutonium.

Dr Volchok

on

of the Environmental

and the National

Dr David Axelrod,

Center

experts

the Director

subsequently

Measurements;

Department

reservoir

and

of Sciences

Wadsworth

following

served as

the

Environmental

Measurements

variety

of programmes

such as radon,

radiation,

recently, accident.

energy-related

the environmental

pollution

consequences

in

world-wide tests and

Laboratory's acid rain,

the biosphere

of the Chernobyl

xvii Dr Volchok will

be

is survived by his wife,

greatly

scientific world.

missed

by both

four sons and one daughter and

family

and his m a n y friends

in the