title: Sample bottle design improvements for radon emanation analysis of natural waters.
abstract: The "radon emanation" method of analysis for Rn and Ra in natural waters has been used by scientists for more than 30 years. We have examined the use of a new plastic bottle design as a viable option and improvement to traditional glass designs. The advantages of the new design over that used previously in our laboratory include a larger volume, lower blank, less fragile nature, and ease of handling in the field. Extensive calibration of the new design yielded an average efficiency of 70.9 +/- 1.7% and showed that an accurate blank value can be determined for each sample based on its specific holding time. Based on a 5-L sample and a 60-min count time, minimum detectable activities (MDA) range from 1.0 to 1.2 mBq L for Rn and Ra, respectively. Memory effect experiments have shown that activity artifacts are negligible when reusing the sampling containers. In addition, intra- and inter-laboratory comparisons show that the new design gives reliable results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oceanography, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA.
authors.forename: Christina E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Stringer
authors.forename: William C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Burnett
mesh_terms: D002138:Calibration; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D011886:Radon / Q000032:analysis*; D014867:Water / Q000032:analysis*; D014875:Water Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014875:Water Pollutants, Radioactive; D014867:Water; D011886:Radon