Towards a radon-in-water primary standard at LNHB

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Metrology
• Radiochemistry

Background:

• Accurate radon-in-water measurements are crucial for public health, yet primary standards are lacking.
• Existing measurement methods lack traceability to a fundamental standard.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a system for producing radon-in-water reference materials.
• To establish traceability for radon-in-water concentration measurements.

Main Methods:

• Cryogenic, loss-free transfer of radon gas.
• Standardization via defined solid angle measurements.
• Preparation of samples for liquid scintillation and gamma-ray spectrometry.

Main Results:

• Successful development of a system for producing radon-in-water reference materials.
• Demonstrated capability for traceable radon-in-water concentration determination.
• Pilot performance tests confirmed system functionality.

Conclusions:

• The developed system effectively bridges the gap in primary radon-in-water standards.
• This work enables the production of traceable reference materials for radon in water.
• The system supports improved accuracy and reliability in radon-in-water analysis.