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Updated: Jul 17, 2026
Quantification of Heavy Metals and Other Inorganic Contaminants on the Productivity of Microalgae
Published on: July 10, 2015
A comprehensive survey of reference materials for their use in quality assurance for the determination of Np-237 in
Ning Qin1, Jian Zheng2, Guosheng Yang2
1Institute for Radiological Science, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), 491 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba, 266-8555, Japan; University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China.
Abstract:
Neptunium-237 (237Np) is one of the most hazardous radionuclides of public concern due to its radiological toxicity, long half-life and high environmental mobility. Standard reference materials (SRMs) with well characterized 237Np activity concentrations are valuable for method development and validation of 237Np determination in environmental samples. In this study, a comprehensive literature survey of 237Np activity concentrations in 25 SRMs was carried out covering the various matrices of sediment, soil, seawater, atmospheric particles, and biota. After data screening, arithmetic mean of the activity concentrations of 237Np in literatures were calculated as statistical values (SVs). Then, accuracies of different instrument analyses and acid digestion methods were evaluated based on the SVs. Finally, by optimizing the sector field ICP-MS analytical method, 237Np activity concentration in JSAC-0471 soil SRM was measured. The application of SVs provides 237Np activity concentration information in more SRMs. Besides SRMs certified by technically validated procedures, SRMs with SVs and the measurement of JASC-0471 provide more options for suitable selection of SRMs for 237Np determination.
