Accurate measurement of uranium and thorium in naturally occurring radioactive materials to overcome complex matrix interference

JuHyun Lee; Sung-Chul Yi

doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2023.110649

Accurate measurement of uranium and thorium in naturally occurring radioactive materials to overcome complex matrix interference

Appl Radiat Isot. 2023 Mar:193:110649. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2023.110649. Epub 2023 Jan 5.

Authors

JuHyun Lee¹, Sung-Chul Yi²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea; Department of NORM Analysis, Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, 62 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34142, Republic of Korea.
² Department of Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: scyi@hanyang.ac.kr.

PMID: 36669269
DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2023.110649

Abstract

A standard addition (SA) calibration method for determining uranium and thorium in naturally-occurring radioactive materials (NORMs) was studied. Pretreatment method using fusion was established and optimized. The SA method was validated (LOD, LOQ, linearity, selectivity, and accuracy) using certified reference materials (SRM 2709a, RM-ZR, and RM-BX). The results were evaluated for bias, and a correction equation that included a contribution to the expanded uncertainty was used. All performance criteria were satisfied; the results agreed well with certified and reference values.

Keywords: ICP-MS; NORM; Standard addition; Thorium; Uranium; Validation.