Cherenkov Radiation Detection on a LS Counter for ²²⁶Ra Determination in Water and Its Comparison with Other Common...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Radiochemistry
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Accurate determination of radium-226 (²²⁶Ra) in water is crucial for public health risk assessment and radiation dose calculations.
• Existing methods for ²²⁶Ra measurement can be time-consuming, complex, and expensive.

Purpose of the Study:

• To optimize Cherenkov counting using a liquid scintillation counter for reliable ²²⁶Ra determination in untreated water samples.
• To investigate the impact of sodium salicylate on improving detection efficiency and lowering the detection limit.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Cherenkov radiation detection on a Quantulus liquid scintillation counter for ²²⁶Ra analysis.
• Optimized counting parameters and evaluated the effect of adding sodium salicylate to water samples.
• Compared Cherenkov counting results with EPA Method 913.0 (liquid scintillation counting) and gamma spectrometry.

Main Results:

• Optimized Cherenkov counting achieved a detection efficiency of 15.87% and a detection limit of 0.415 Bq/L.
• Addition of 1 g sodium salicylate increased efficiency to 38.1% and reduced the detection limit to 0.248 Bq/L.
• The technique demonstrated satisfactory precision, with results deviating 5-20% from reference values.

Conclusions:

• Cherenkov counting, especially with sodium salicylate, provides a faster, simpler, and less expensive method for ²²⁶Ra determination in water.
• This optimized method is suitable for routine radiological monitoring and health risk assessments.
• The study highlights the advantages and disadvantages of Cherenkov counting compared to traditional methods.