In April 1958, water samples from more than 45 wells in the Raymond and Windham areas of Maine were analyzed for radioactivity by the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) and the Maine State Health Department. The activity of radon and its daughter products was found to be 2,500‐583,000 μμ/l. The long‐life alpha activity‐primarily uranium, thorium, and radium‐was found to be approximately 0‐666 μƁ/l. It may also be noted that a radiologic survey of the geology of this area showed rather high background radiation. A detailed sampling program to define the occurrence and extent of natural radioactivity in groundwater supplies of Maine and New Hampshire was undertaken during the summer of 1959. The program in Maine included radioassay of groundwater supplies in the Raymond, Yarmouth, Rumford, and Lewiston areas. In New Hampshire, samples were collected from areas in and around the towns of Nottingham, Northwood, Deerfield, Crafton, and Franklin. In addition, the activity in the water supply sources and in the system of Dover, N.H., a city of about 20,000 people, was studied in some detail. After considerable experimental work, it was decided to adopt the de‐emanation‐scintillation method for the analysis of radon and radium. The method is similar to that used by Holaday and others for the detection of radon in air within uranium mines. A more comprehensive discussion of the method and techniques used in this study has been reported by Higgins and others in this issue of the Journal.

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The purpose of this study was to develop a simple, reliable, and reproducible field method for the analysis of certain of the naturally occurring radioisotopes in water. The procedures were applied to the analysis of water supplies, particularly groundwaters, during a relatively extensive field sampling program. The requirements, therefore, differed from those of many existing analytic methods in that equipment had to be compact and portable. In order to achieve significant results during a limited and expensive field survey, it was desirable that the analytic procedures be as rapid as possible without loss of accuracy. The analytic procedure studied involved the de‐emanation of Rn222 from solution and the collection of the gases in an erlenmeyer flask coated with a powdered, silver‐activated zinc sulfide screen, followed by alpha scintillation counting. Water samples were collected in specially designed glass bubblers. De‐emanation was achieved by means of an evacuated erlenmeyer flask connected to a bubbler. The vacuum was used to produce an upward flow of air through the bubbler, resulting in radon removal from the water and collection in the flask. The analysis was completed by alpha scintillation counting of the flask, with the use of a specially designed detection unit. Ra226 was also analyzed with the use of a simple modification of the de‐emanation procedure. After de‐emanation for radon analysis, the water sample was thoroughly purged of any remaining radon. The bubbler was then sealed for 8‐12 days to allow the buildup of radon from the radium in the sample. A second radon analysis was performed on the sample, and the radium content was calculated with the use of the known state of partial equilibrium between the two radioelements.

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