(210)Bi - from interference to advantage in (210)Pb determination with liquid scintillation counter

Appl Radiat Isot. 2016 Mar:109:296-300. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2015.12.049. Epub 2015 Dec 19.

Abstract

A novel method for determination of (210)Pb activity concentration using a liquid scintillation counter (LSC) in environmental samples is presented. After radiochemical separation of (210)Pb on Eichrom Sr Resin column, the decay product (210)Bi starts to in-grow and interfere with the (210)Pb during measurement with LSC. Instead of eliminating this interference, a novel method utilises (210)Bi in-growth to improve the detection efficiency and subsequently to lower the minimum detectable activity (MDA). This allows for substantial reduction of the MDA compared to conventional methods.

Keywords: (210)Bi; (210)Pb; Liquid scintillation counter.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bismuth / analysis*
  • Bismuth / standards*
  • Lead Radioisotopes / analysis*
  • Lead Radioisotopes / standards*
  • Quality Improvement
  • Radioisotopes / analysis
  • Radioisotopes / standards
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Scintillation Counting / methods*
  • Scintillation Counting / standards*
  • Sensitivity and Specificity

Substances

  • Lead Radioisotopes
  • Radioisotopes
  • Bismuth