Sequential isotopic determination of plutonium, thorium, americium, strontium and uranium in environmental and bioassay samples

A procedure has been developed to provide sequential analysis of 238Pu, 230Th, 241Am, 238U, and 90Sr in environmental and bioassay samples. Tracers and/or carriers (242Pu, 243Am, 232U, and stable strontium) are added into the sample as chemical yield monitors, and then, plutonium, thorium, strontium, americium, and uranium are sequentially separated and purified by Dowex ion-exchange resin, EiChroM Sr-resin, EiChroM TRU-resin, and Chelate-100 resin, respectively. The radioactivities of 90Sr and the actinides are measured using the liquid scintillation counter and alpha-particle spectrometer, respectively. Acidified water, glass-fiber air filter, soil, synthetic urine and synthetic feces samples of US National Institute of Standard and Technology Radiochemical Intercomparison Program(NRIP) were analyzed to verify this method. All the analytical results of 238Pu, 230Th, 90Sr, 241Am and 238U meet the traceability limit per ANSI N42.22, and when appropriate, evaluation of radiobioassay measurement bias and precision per ANSI N13.30.