Plutonium determination in bioassay samples using radiochemical thermal ionization mass spectrometry

• Published in: Journal of radioanalytical and nuclear chemistry Vol. 263; no. 2; pp. 477 - 481
• Main Authors: LaMont, S. P., Shick, C. R., Cable-Dunlap, P., Fauth, D. J., LaBone, T. R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01-01-2005
• ISSN: 0236-5731; 1588-2780
• DOI: 10.1007/s10967-005-0078-1

Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is a sensitive and robust technique typically applied to the quantification of long-lived radioisotopes in samples too small to be decay-counted. AMS is characterized by a high rejection of interferences and a low susceptibility to matrix components, which reduce the demands on sample preparation chemistry. At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (CAMS), we have developed an AMS capability for the measurement of actinide concentrations and isotopic ratios. To date, this capability has been primarily devoted to the measurement of 239 Pu and 240 Pu in bioassay and environmental samples including soils, sediments, waters, and human urine. For these analyses, a known amount of 242 Pu is added to the samples as a reference isotope for normalization. Measurements of standard and intercomparison samples have shown that quantification is accurate and precise from at least 10 6 to 10 11 atoms/sample. Recently, the ratios of 240 Pu, 241 Pu, 242 Pu, and +Pu to intrinsic 239 Pu have been successfully measured in soil samples from nuclear test sites. In addition, initial measurements of U and Np isotopes have yielded results consistent with the Pu measurements with respect to sensitivity, accuracy, precision, and linear range.