Optimization of pretreatment protocol for strontium-90 analysis in marine fish bone samples

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Radiochemistry

Background:

• Radioactive nuclide monitoring in marine products is crucial for public health and environmental safety.
• Strontium-90 (90Sr) is a significant radioisotope requiring efficient analytical methods for detection in marine ecosystems.
• Existing methods for 90Sr analysis can be time-consuming and complex, necessitating simplification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To streamline and simplify the analytical method for strontium-90 (90Sr) in marine products.
• To optimize pretreatment procedures, minimizing nitric acid leaching steps for strontium analysis.
• To develop a rapid and efficient method for 90Sr quantification in marine samples.

Main Methods:

• Utilized DGA chelate solid-phase extraction for enhanced efficiency in strontium separation.
• Optimized pretreatment protocols to reduce the number of steps involving HNO3 leaching.
• Applied the developed method to analyze 90Sr in three marine fish species and surface seawater.

Main Results:

• Achieved quantitative recovery of strontium with high chemical yields (87.7%–92.5%).
• Enabled rapid analysis of 90Sr without a time-consuming evaporation step or waiting for secular equilibrium.
• Successfully quantified 90Sr at background levels in surface seawater and marine fish bone samples (0.036–0.120 mBq/kg-dry).

Conclusions:

• The optimized DGA chelate solid-phase extraction method significantly simplifies and accelerates 90Sr analysis in marine products.
• This method provides accurate quantification of 90Sr in diverse marine matrices, including fish and seawater.
• The streamlined protocol is suitable for systematic monitoring of 90Sr in marine environments and food safety assessments.