A sensitive method for the determination of iodine-129 in environmental materials

A method is described for the analysis of 129I in environmental samples which uses a commercial facility to provide thermal neutron activation. The procedure has been designed to minimize treatment following irradiation. This permits chemical recovery to be estimated from a short-lived activation product of stable iodine. Sensitivity and throughput are comparable with other methods that have less restricted access to irradiation facilities. A summary is given of some measurements of activity concentrations in milk produced in the vicinity of a reprocessing plant; the results demonstrate the adequacy of the method for the intended purpose and show that present discharges do not result in a significant hazard to the local population.