IMPROVEMENTS ON PB-210 AND PO-210 DETERMINATION IN ENVIRONMENTAL MATERIALS

Improvements in analytical methodology for the determination of Pb-210 and Po-210 in environmental materials have been the subject of contin uing study. Early work showed that the most time-consuming part of the analysis was the wet ashing stage. Investigations have now been carri ed out to improve this part of the analytical scheme. This paper descr ibes a modified method that has been developed and tested and which ha s been in routine use for about one chemical recoveries year. The time required for the analysis has been reduced and the spectral quality o f the sources has been improved. Test sample gave chemical recoveries that were higher, but this improvement has not yet been observed in op erational work. Some analytical schemes in which Pb-210 and Po-210 are to be determined in the same sample require the addition of stable le ad carrier. In some cases, this can lead to the addition of significan t quantities of Po-210 The results of an investigation of the Po-210 c ontent of various lead carriers are described and the implications of their use on the determination of Po-210 in environmental materials ar e discussed.