Vf. Hodge et Ga. Laing, AN EVALUATION OF THE INDUCTIVELY-COUPLED PLASMA-MASS SPECTROMETER FORTHE DETERMINATION OF RA-226 IN DRINKING-WATER, Radiochimica Acta, 64(3-4), 1994, pp. 211-215
This report evaluates the use of ICP-MS for the determination of radiu
m-226 in drinking water. Radium is concentrated from water samples usi
ng cation exchange, followed by rapid ICP-MS detection. The entire pro
cedure requires approximately 36 hours for a nominal set of eight samp
les and gives average recoveries of 95 +/- 5%. The method detection li
mit is one picogram per liter and the ICP-MS analysis time is less tha
n three minutes. Results demonstrate that the ICP-MS is an alternative
analytical tool for the determination of radium-226 in drinking water
at concentrations required by the United States Environmental Protect
ion Agency.