Biomaterial Database

Calibration of the direct LSC method for radon in drinking water: Interference from (210)Pb and its progenies accumulated in (226)Ra standard solution. 2010

Laina Salonen

Radon Safety, STUK-Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, P.O. Box 14, FIN-00881 Helsinki, Finland. laina.salonen@stuk.fi

The standard ASTM method is the most commonly applied method for determining (222)Rn in drinking water. The method is calibrated with a (226)Ra standard solution that usually contains variable amounts of (210)Pb, (210)Bi and (210)Po if the standard has not recently been purified. Until now it has not been experimentally confirmed that these progenies do not interfere when the method is calibrated. In this study, interference was examined using three different organic cocktails and alpha/beta liquid scintillation spectrometry to separately assess the effect of three radionuclides. The interference from (210) Po was 4% for one of the cocktails if the (226)Ra standard had been purified 5 years earlier. The interferences from (210)Pb and (210)Bi were negligible compared to that of (210)Po.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007856	Lead Radioisotopes	Unstable isotopes of lead that decay or disintegrate emitting radiation. Pb atoms with atomic weights 194-203, 205, and 209-214 are radioactive lead isotopes.	Radioisotopes, Lead
D011883	Radium	A radioactive element of the alkaline earth series of metals. It has the atomic symbol Ra and atomic number 88. Radium is the product of the disintegration of URANIUM and is present in pitchblende and all ores containing uranium. It is used clinically as a source of beta and gamma-rays in radiotherapy, particularly BRACHYTHERAPY.
D011886	Radon	A naturally radioactive element with atomic symbol Rn, and atomic number 86. It is a member of the noble gas family found in soil, and is released during the decay of RADIUM.	Actinon,Thoron (Element)
D012015	Reference Standards	A basis of value established for the measure of quantity, weight, extent or quality, e.g. weight standards, standard solutions, methods, techniques, and procedures used in diagnosis and therapy.	Standard Preparations,Standards, Reference,Preparations, Standard,Standardization,Standards,Preparation, Standard,Reference Standard,Standard Preparation,Standard, Reference
D002138	Calibration	Determination, by measurement or comparison with a standard, of the correct value of each scale reading on a meter or other measuring instrument; or determination of the settings of a control device that correspond to particular values of voltage, current, frequency or other output.	Calibrations
D012588	Scintillation Counting	Detection and counting of scintillations produced in a fluorescent material by ionizing radiation.	Scintillation Counters,Counter, Scintillation,Counters, Scintillation,Counting, Scintillation,Scintillation Counter
D014875	Water Pollutants, Radioactive	Pollutants, present in water or bodies of water, which exhibit radioactivity.	Pollutants, Radioactive Water,Radioactive Water Pollutants
D014881	Water Supply	Means or process of supplying water (as for a community) usually including reservoirs, tunnels, and pipelines and often the watershed from which the water is ultimately drawn. (Webster, 3d ed)	Supplies, Water,Supply, Water,Water Supplies