High-resolution determination of 147Pm in urine using dynamic ion-exchange chromatography

A procedure has been developed for measuring 147Pm in bioassay samples, based on the separation and preconcentration of 147Pm from the urine matrix by adsorption onto a conventional cation-exchange column with final separation and purification by HPLC using dynamic ion-exchange chromatography. The concentration of 147Pm is determined by collecting the appropriate HPLC fraction and measuring the 147Pm by liquid scintillation counting. The limit of detection is 0.1 Bq (3 fg) 147Pm based on a 500-mL sample of urine and a counting time of 30 min with a background of 100 cpm. Ten samples can be processed in 1.5-2 days.