title: A sensitive method for the determination of iodine-129 in environmental materials.
abstract: 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.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D005507:Food Contamination, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D008722:Methods; D008892:Milk / Q000032:analysis*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D014878:Water Pollution, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive