Simplified Method for Detecting Tritium Contamination in Plants and Soil

Cost-effective methods are needed to identify the presence and distribution of tritium near radioactive waste disposal and other contaminated sites. The objectives of this study were to (i) develop a simplified sample preparation method for determining tritium contamination in plants and (ii) determ...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Journal of environmental quality Vol. 32; no. 3; pp. 988 - 995
Main Authors:	Andraski, B.J, Sandstrom, M.W, Michel, R.L, Radyk, J.C, Stonestrom, D.A, Johnson, M.J, Mayers, C.J
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Madison, WI Crop Science Society of America 01-05-2003 American Society of Agronomy
Subjects:	Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions Biological and medical sciences Cost-Benefit Analysis Desert plants Distillation Environmental Monitoring - methods Foliage Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology Laboratory tests Larrea - chemistry Larrea tridentata Plant Leaves - chemistry Radioactive pollution Radioactive Waste Radioactive waste disposal Radioactive wastes Sample preparation Sensitivity and Specificity Soil and water pollution Soil contamination Soil Pollutants, Radioactive - analysis Soil Pollutants, Radioactive - pharmacokinetics Soil science Solar distillation Toluene Tritium Tritium - analysis Tritium - pharmacokinetics Water vapor California United States North America America USA, California, Mojave Desert Radioactive waste Radioactive pollution Arid environment Fodder shrub Larrea tridentata Tritium Radioisotope Soil pollution Evergreen plant Analysis method Zygophyllaceae Desert soil Dicotyledones Angiospermae Spermatophyta Chemical contamination
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Summary:	Cost-effective methods are needed to identify the presence and distribution of tritium near radioactive waste disposal and other contaminated sites. The objectives of this study were to (i) develop a simplified sample preparation method for determining tritium contamination in plants and (ii) determine if plant data could be used as an indicator of soil contamination. The method entailed collection and solar distillation of plant water from foliage, followed by filtration and adsorption of scintillation-interfering constituents on a graphite-based solid phase extraction (SPE) column. The method was evaluated using samples of creosote bush [Larrea tridentata (Sessé & Moc. ex DC.) Coville], an evergreen shrub, near a radioactive disposal area in the Mojave Desert. Laboratory tests showed that a 2-g SPE column was necessary and sufficient for accurate determination of known tritium concentrations in plant water. Comparisons of tritium concentrations in plant water determined with the solar distillation–SPE method and the standard (and more laborious) toluene-extraction method showed no significant difference between methods. Tritium concentrations in plant water and in water vapor of root-zone soil also showed no significant difference between methods. Thus, the solar distillation–SPE method provides a simple and cost-effective way to identify plant and soil contamination. The method is of sufficient accuracy to facilitate collection of plume-scale data and optimize placement of more sophisticated (and costly) monitoring equipment at contaminated sites. Although work to date has focused on one desert plant, the approach may be transferable to other species and environments after site-specific experiments.
Bibliography:	http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/jeq2003.9880 ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-1 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-1 ObjectType-Feature-2
ISSN:	0047-2425 1537-2537
DOI:	10.2134/jeq2003.0988