High efficiency quantification of ⁹⁰Sr contamination in cow milk after a nuclear accident

Monitoring ⁹⁰Sr contamination in milk following a nuclear accident is critical due to its radiotoxicity and calcium-mimicking behaviour, leading to accumulation in bones and teeth. This study presents a high-efficiency protocol for quantifying ⁹⁰Sr in cow milk by integrating freeze-drying, high-temperature calcination, ion exchange chromatography and liquid scintillation spectroscopy (LSC). The method was validated using reference milk samples with 0.45 Bq/mL of ⁹⁰Sr, achieving a chemical yield of 100 ± 2%, ensuring near-complete recovery and accurate quantification. The minimum detectable activity (MDA) was estimated at 0.33 Bq/L under optimal conditions, demonstrating the protocol's sensitivity for low-level detection. A comparative analysis with existing methods, centrifugation-based approaches and Dowex resin techniques revealed that our protocol outperforms in both strontium recovery and organic matter elimination. Alternative methods showed lower recovery rates (68 ± 2% for Guérin's method, 65 ± 6% for Dowex resin) and suffered from procedural drawbacks, such as incomplete organic matter removal. Applying this methodology to compare samples from certified laboratories confirmed its robustness, with liquid scintillation spectroscopy radioactivity values doubling after 14 days, consistent with secular equilibrium between ⁹⁰Sr and ⁹⁰Y. While the protocol is optimized for milk, future research should explore its applicability to other food matrices. The high yield, reliability, and ease of implementation, position this method as an effective tool for nuclear emergency response and routine radiological monitoring.