Pre-concentration of naturally occurring radionuclides and the determination of 212Pb from fresh waters

Burnett, J.L., Croudace, I.W. and Warwick, P.E. (2011) Pre-concentration of naturally occurring radionuclides and the determination of 212Pb from fresh waters. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 102 (4), 326-330. (doi:10.1016/j.jenvrad.2011.01.001).

Record type: Article

Abstract

A novel technique has been developed for determining the 212Pb activity of fresh waters. This is of interest to environmental monitoring programmes that utilise gross ?-activity methods to screen for anthropogenic radionuclides. The contribution from 212Pb varies, and is difficult to experimentally measure due to its relatively short half-life (t½ = 10.6 h) and low environmental activity (<0.1 Bq l?1). The use of a three-stage technique that encompasses a unique form of pre-concentration, separation and analysis by liquid scintillation counting allows a lower detection limit of 0.006 Bq l?1 with a chemical yield of 92.5 ± 5.6%. The measurement can be obtained within 7 h of sample collection, and is calculated using the radioactive decay of 212Bi. Other naturally occurring radionuclides may also be extracted using the pre-concentration stage of the technique, with efficiencies above 90% at a range of pH values.

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