EURADOS intercomparison on emergency radiobioassay.

Nine laboratories participated in an intercomparison exercise organised by the European Radiation Dosimetry Group (EURADOS) for emergency radiobioassay involving four high-risk radionuclides ((239)Pu, (241)Am, (90)Sr and (226)Ra). Diverse methods of analysis were used by the participating laboratories for the in vitro determination of each of the four radionuclides in urine samples. Almost all the methods used are sensitive enough to meet the requirements for emergency radiobioassay derived for this project in reference to the Clinical Decision Guide introduced by the NCRP.

210Pb in home dust as a possible marker for radon exposure in indoor air.

Exposure to indoor radon is of great concern because it is an environmental hazard for developing lung cancer. 210Pb, a radon decay product, was measured in home dust samples from the city of Ottawa, Canada. The 210Pb level in dust ranged from 33 to 352 Bq kg(-1), with the geometric mean and median values of 105 and 110 Bq kg(-1), respectively.

Speciation measurements of uranium in alkaline waters using diffusive gradients in thin films technique.

This work investigated the application of diffusive gradients in thin films technique (DGT) to uranium speciation measurements in natural water. Two binding phases were examined, a commercially available affinity membrane, Whatman DE 81 (DE 81), with amino binding functional groups and the conventionally used Chelex 100 beads imbedded polyacrylamide hydrogel (Chelex) with iminodiacetate functional groups. The DGT devices assembled with the binding phases of DE 81 (DE 81 DGT) and Chelex gel (Chelex DGT) were tested both in synthetic river water solutions and in local river water.