ISO/NP 18589-8

Measurement of radioactivity in the environment — Soil — Part 8: Neptunium-237, Plutonium-239, Plutonium-240, and Plutonium-241 — Test method using ICP-MS ISO/NP 18589-8

Scope

This document describes a method for the determination of radionuclides ²³⁷Np, ²³⁹Pu, ²⁴⁰Pu, and ²⁴¹Pu in soil by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) following chemical separation. The method is also applicable to the analysis of sediments, aerosols, and biological ash samples.

The method is applicable to any type of environmental monitoring or study, including both routine and emergency monitoring. It is suitable for the measurement of very low activity concentrations.

The mass of the test portion depends on the assumed activity concentration of the sample and the required detection limit, and can generally range from 0,1 g to 20 g of soil.