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Quantification of 241Am in urine at low levels is important for assessment of individuals’ or populations’ accidental, environmental, or terrorism-related internal contamination, but no convenient, precise method has been established to rapidly determine these low levels. Here we report a new analytical method to measure 241Am as developed and validated at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by means of the selective retention of Am from urine directly on DGA resin, followed by SF-ICP-MS detection. The method provides rapid results with a Limit of Detection (LOD) of 0.22 pg/L (0.028 Bq/L), which is lower than 1/3 of the C/P CDG for 241Am at 5 days post-exposure. The results obtained by this method closely agree with CDC values as measured by Liquid Scintillation Counting, and with National Institute of Standards Technology (NIST) Certified Reference Materials (CRM) target values.

Quantification of the isotopic composition of uranium in urine at low levels of concentration is important for assessing both military and civilian populations’ exposures to uranium. However, until now there has been no convenient, precise method established for rapid determination of multiple uranium isotope ratios. Here we report a new method to measure 234U/238U, 235U/238U and 236U/238U. It uses solid phase chelation extraction (via TRU columns) of actinides from the urine matrix, followed by measurement using a magnetic sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (SF-ICP-MS - Thermo Element XR) equipped with a high efficiency nebulizer (Apex PFA microflow) and coupled with a membrane desolvating introduction system (Aridus II™). This method provides rapid and reliable results, and has been used successfully to analyze Certified Reference Materials (CRM).

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