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Updated: Jul 24, 2026

Hyperpolarized Xenon for NMR and MRI Applications
Published on: September 6, 2012
Analysis of radioxenon and Krypton-85 at the BfS noble gas laboratory
C Schlosser1, A Bollhöfer1, S Schmid1
1Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), 79098 Freiburg, Germany.
Abstract:
Proportional counters and a β-γ coincidence system and their performance characteristics are described, with emphasis on internal and external quality controls. Typical limits of detection (LD) are 8mBqm-3 for 85Kr and 4mBqm-3 for 133Xe for the proportional counters, while for similar xenon volumes the LD for 133Xe in the β-γ system is approximately 4 times lower. Results of comparative analyses agree above the limit of quantification. Xenon-133 levels in southern Germany are presently at or below the LD of the proportional counters, but above the LD of the β-γ system, which is now routinely used for analysis of environmental samples.
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