Analysis of iodine-129 in environmental materials: Quality assurance and applications

The long-lived radionuclide I-129 (T-1/2 = 15.7 MY) occurs in the nature in very low concentrations. Since the middle of our century the environmental levels of I-129 have been dramatically changed as a consequence of civil a nd military use of nuclear fission. Its investigation in environmental mate rials is of interest for environmental surveillance, retrospective dosimetr y and for the use as a natural and man-made tracers of environmental proces ses. We are comparing two analytical methods which presently are capable of determining I-129 in environmental materials, namely radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA) and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). Emphas is is laid upon the quality control and detection capabilities for the anal ysis of I-129 in environmental materials. Some applications are discussed.