Separation of Tc-99 in soil and plant samples collected around the Chernobyl reactor using a Tc-selective chromatographic resin and determination of the nuclide by ICP-MS

Technetium (Tc) is known to have high mobility in a soil–water system and also high bioavailability for plants, because the most stable form of Tc in natural surface environment is thought to be TcO−4 which is highly soluble. The chemical form of Tc, however, changes with environmental conditions. Thus, it is necessary, for realistic assessment, to obtain transfer parameters, such as transfer factors, under natural conditions. However, it is difficult to obtain these parameters using global fallout 99Tc in actual fields due to its low concentration. In this study, 99Tc concentrations in surface soil and plant leaf samples collected from forest sites within the 30-km zone around the Chernobyl reactor were measured for the first time. In the case of soil samples, a simple and rapid analytical method for determination of 99Tc is used which consists of volatilizing and trapping Tc in a combustion apparatus, purifying the Tc with an extraction chromatographic resin, and measuring it by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). For plant samples, a wet digestion method in combination with the resin is applied and the 99Tc is measured by ICP-MS. Concentrations of 99Tc in organic soil samples and leaves of strawberry (Fragaria vesca) range from 1.1–14.8 Bq kg−1 dry weight and 0.2–6.0 Bq kg−1 dry weight, respectively. Our results indicate that soil-to-plant transfer factors for Tc are similar to those for Cs.