Rapid determination of [sup.226]Ra in environmental samples

• Published in: Journal of radioanalytical and nuclear chemistry 2012-07, Vol.293 (1), p.149
• Main Authors: Maxwell, Sherrod L, Culligan, Brian K
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis; Barium; Barium sulfate; Calcium carbonate; Hydroxides; Nuclear accidents; Nuclear facilities; Nuclear radiation; Rain and rainfall; Tracers (Biology)
• ISSN: 0236-5731
• DOI: 10.1007/s10967-012-1627-z

A new rapid method for the determination of [sup.226]Ra in environmental samples has been developed at the Savannah River Site Environmental Lab (Aiken, SC, USA) that can be used for emergency response or routine sample analyses. The need for rapid analyses in the event of a Radiological Dispersive Device or Improvised Nuclear Device event is well-known. In addition, the recent accident at Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in March, 2011 reinforces the need to have rapid analyses for radionuclides in environmental samples in the event of a nuclear accident. [sup.226]Ra (T1/2 = 1,620 years) is one of the most toxic of the long-lived alpha-emitters present in the environment due to its long life and its tendency to concentrate in bones, which increases the internal radiation dose of individuals. The new method to determine [sup.226]Ra in environmental samples utilizes a rapid sodium hydroxide fusion method for solid samples, calcium carbonate precipitation to preconcentrate Ra, and rapid column separation steps to remove interferences. The column separation process uses cation exchange resin to remove large amounts of calcium, Sr Resin to remove barium and Ln Resin as a final purification step to remove [sup.225]Ac and potential interferences. The purified [sup.226]Ra sample test sources are prepared using barium sulfate microprecipitation in the presence of isopropanol for counting by alpha spectrometry. The method showed good chemical recoveries and effective removal of interferences. The determination of [sup.226]Ra in environmental samples can be performed in less than 16 h for vegetation, concrete, brick, soil, and air filter samples with excellent quality for emergency or routine analyses. The sample preparation work takes less than 6 h. [.sub.225]Ra (T1/2 = 14.9 day) tracer is used and the [sup.225]Ra progeny [sup.217]At is used to determine chemical yield via alpha spectrometry. The rapid fusion technique is a rugged sample digestion method that ensures that any refractory radium particles are effectively digested. The preconcentration and column separation steps can also be applied to aqueous samples with good results. Keywords Rapid * [sup.226]Ra * Concrete * Soil * Vegetation * Air filters * Brick * Water * Alpha