RADIOCHEMISTRY OF THE 3M SBMF-40VF FILTER MEDIA USED BY THE DOE CTBT RADIONUCLIDE AEROSOL SAMPLER ANALYZER (RASA)/

The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty calls for the monitoring of aerosol radionuclides throughout the globe. Pacific Northwest National Laborat ory has developed the Radionuclide Aerosol Sampler/Analyzer (RASA) for the Department of Energy to automatically collect and measure radioac tive aerosols from the atmosphere. The RASA passes high volumes of air through a 3M(TM) Substrate Blown Microfiber Media (SBMF) specifically designated as SBMF-40VF. It then automatically moves the filter media in front of a high-purity germanium detector and collects a gamma spe ctrum. If further analysis on the filter is desired, the filter is sen t to a laboratory and radiochemical analysis is performed. This paper discusses the method of dissolution of the SBMF-40VF filter media and the separation of the radioisotopes of interest.