STUDIES IN RADIOACTIVE FALLOUT IN NEW ZEALAND. PART 1. THE MEASUREMENT OF RADIOCAESIUM, -STRONTIUM, -BARIUM, AND -CERIUM IN RAINWATER

Journal Article · Fri Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1961 · New Zealand J. Sci.

OSTI ID:4802729

McNaughton, G S; Woodward, R N

An analysis scheme which has been used during the past year to determine Cs/sup 137/, Cs/sup 137/, Sr/sup 90/, and Ba/sup 140/ in every rain at Lower Hutt, New Zealand, is presented. Rainwater is collected in a polythene tank containing carriers, and soluble cationic material is absorbed by a Dowex-50 resin column. The above isotopes are separated by elution with 0.7 m HCl, 1.5 m ammonium lactate and 4 m HCl. The cesium and cerium fractions are radiochemically purified before counting, the former with a gamma spectrometer and the latter with a low-background beta counter. The Sr/sup 90/ and Ba/sup 140/ are reabsorbed on ion exchange columns and their Yt/sup 90/ and La/sup 140/ daughters are eluted with pH 3.8 ammonium citrate, precipitated with yttrium oxalate and counted in a low background counter. The recovery of each carrier is determined chemically. Inherent errors in the method due to counting statistics and decay of activity are equivalent to deposited activities of about 5, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.8 micro curies/sq mile for Cs/sup 137/, Ce/sup 144/, Sr/sup 90/, and Ba/sup 140/ respect ively, at the 90% confidence level. (auth)

• Research Organization: Dept. of Scientific and Industrial Research, Lower Hutt, N.Z.
• NSA Number: NSA-16-010334
• OSTI ID: 4802729
• Journal Information: New Zealand J. Sci., Journal Name: New Zealand J. Sci. Vol. Vol: 4
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ABSORPTION
ACIDITY
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
BACKGROUND
BARIUM 140
BETA PARTICLES
CATIONS
CERIUM 144
CESIUM 137
CITRIC ACID
COUNTERS
DOWEX
EFFICIENCY
EXTRACTION COLUMNS
FALLOUT
FISSION PRODUCTS
GAMMA SPECTROMETERS
HALF-LIFE
HEALTH AND SAFETY
HYDROCHLORIC ACID
IMPURITIES
ION EXCHANGE
ION EXCHANGE MATERIALS
ISOTOPE SEPARATION
LANTHANUM 140
MEASURED VALUES
OXALATES
POLYETHYLENES
QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
RADIOCHEMISTRY
RAIN
RECOVERY
RESINS
SAMPLING
SOLUBILITY
STATISTICS
STRONTIUM 90
VESSELS
YTTRIUM 90
YTTRIUM COMPOUNDS