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TEST PROCEDURE FOR GROSS ALPHA PARTICLE ACTIVITY IN DRINKING WATER: INTERLABORATORY COLLABORATIVE STUDY
Citation:
Whittaker, E. TEST PROCEDURE FOR GROSS ALPHA PARTICLE ACTIVITY IN DRINKING WATER: INTERLABORATORY COLLABORATIVE STUDY. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/4-86/027 (NTIS PB86236957), 1986.
Description:
Gross alpha activity values were calculated with four different alpha emitting radionuclide standard counting efficiencies to see which standard was best for gross alpha activity determinations. Thorium-230, a pure alpha emitter, appeared to be the best standard for gross alpha counting efficiency. A secondary purpose in the study was to see how well the Ra-226 concentration of a drinking water sample could be estimated from an early gross alpha count subtracted from a late gross alpha count and calculated from the equation provided in the test procedure. The method for gross alpha particle concentration measurement eliminates the dissolved solids interference problem (which is a significant problem for the EPA approved method) and provides for greater sensitivity by allowing for the use of much larger samples in the analysis.