DOE EML: Po-01-RC: Polonium in Water and Urine
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Official Method Name
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Polonium in Water and Urine |
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Current Revision
| EML Procedures Manual HASL-300, Volume 1, 28th Ed.(1997) |
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Media
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WATER |
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Instrumentation
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Alpha Scintillation |
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Method Subcategory
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Radiochemical |
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Method Source
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Citation
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Brief Method Summary
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Polonium is quantitatively deposited on a nickel disc from a strong HCl solution. This is a very specific separation and therefore can be carried out while many other radionuclides are present in the sample. The plated disc is alpha counted on a scintillation counter. It is also possible to use a Po-208 or Po-209 tracer and count on an alpha spectrometer to measure chemical yield and the activity of the sample. |
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Scope and Application
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This procedure is applicable to water and urine (Hursh, 1958). Organic materials which can be converted to Cl- solutions should also lend themselves to analysis by the procedure given. Reagent blanks must be analyzed along with the samples. [Note: It has been shown (Fellman et al., 1989) that urine samples must be wet ashed to release polonium from metabolically labeled organic compounds. The procedure has been modified to incorporate the destruction of organic matter.] |
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Applicable Concentration Range
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None given. |
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Interferences
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Cross contamination: High-level and low-level samples should be processed in independent batches to minimize possibility of cross contamination. |
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Quality Control Requirements
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QC samples should be analyzed to ensure required limits of precision and accuracy are being met. QC samples include instrument calibration standards, blank samples, control samples, an "spiked" samples. |
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Sample Handling
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None given. |
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Maximum Holding Time
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None given. |
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Relative Cost
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$51 to $200 |
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Sample Preparation Methods
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