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FUSION METHOD FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF PLUTONIUM IN SOILS: SINGLE-LABORATORY EVALUATION AND INTERLABORATORY COLLABORATIVE TEST
Citation:
Hahn, P., E. Bretthauer, P. Altringer, AND N. Mathews. FUSION METHOD FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF PLUTONIUM IN SOILS: SINGLE-LABORATORY EVALUATION AND INTERLABORATORY COLLABORATIVE TEST. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/7-77/078 (NTIS PB271965).
Description:
This report presents the results of a single-laboratory evaluation and an interlaboratory collaborative test of a method for measuring plutonium in soil. The method employs potassium fluoride and potassium pyrosulfate fusions to decompose a 10-gram sample, barium sulfate precipitations, solvent extraction and electrodeposition to isolate the plutonium, and alpha spectrometry to measure the plutonium. The method is appended to the report. Also discussed are several problem areas associated with environmental actinide analyses. These include the difficulties which may be anticipated in requiring monitoring laboratories to adopt a specific complex method of this type. Suggestions are presented for improving agreement between laboratories by establishing criteria for analytical results rather than requiring specific methodology.