Certified reference materials for radionuclides in Bikini Atoll sediment (IAEA-410) and Pacific Ocean sediment (IAEA-412)

Abstract

Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) for radionuclides in sediments from the Bikini Atoll (IAEA-410) and Pacific Ocean (IAEA-412) are described and the results of the certification process are presented. The CRMs can be used for Quality Assurance/Quality Control of analysis of radionuclides in sediments, as well as for development and validation of analytical methods, and for training purposes.

Determination of ultra-low level plutonium isotopes (239Pu, 240Pu) in environmental samples with high uranium

“…If the ICP-MS/MS is equipped with an APEX-Q high-efficiency sample introduction system, the detection limit could be improved to 0.1 fg mL -1 for 239 Pu and 0.02 fg mL -1 for 240 Pu. The analytical results of reference materials show that the measured activity concentration of 239 Pu and 240 Pu and are 1.81±0.07 mBq g -1 and 1.17±0.10 mBq g -1 in the IAEA-385 and 0.37±0.01 mBq g -1 and 0.23±0.01 mBq g -1 in the IAEA-412, respectively (Table 2), which are in a good agreement with the certified values of 1.79±0.28 mBq g -1 and 1.15±0.14 mBq g -1 of IAEA-385 [37] and 0.36±0.016 mBq g -1 and 0.24±0.016 mBq g -1 of IAEA-412 [38], respectively. All these features prove that the developed method for determination of low level 239 Pu and 240 Pu in the environmental samples is reliable and accurate.…”

“…The Irish Sea sediment IAEA-385 was collected from the Irish Sea in 1995 [37]. The Pacific Ocean sediment (IAEA-412) was collected at 22°22'N,152°40'E (water depth 5600 m) in the northwest Pacific Ocean in 1997[38].…”

Ultrasensitive detection of 244Pu in environmental samples by accelerator mass spectrometry

“…The rst was cored at 11°26 ′ N-164°52 ′ E in Bikini Atoll in 1997 and is coded IAEA-410. The second sample was sampled also taken in 1997, in the Pacic Ocean at 22°22 ′ N-152°40 ′ E. 22 As suggested in ref. 23 , for the rst environmental sample described previously, we used aliquots of ∼0.5 g for one cathode and approximately 4-5 g for the second sample.…”

Preliminary assessment of uranium mining legacy and environmental radioactivity levels in Sabugal region, Portugal

“…2). Analytical quality control was performed through the analysis of certified reference materials and participation in international inter comparison exercises using blind samples [9,10]. Results are expressed in mBq/L or Bq/kg dry weight (1 Bq = 1 nuclear disintegration per second).…”