title: Preparation and application of tea to a tritium performance testing programme.
abstract: A simple, but novel technique, for adjusting steeps of black tea to produce fluids, which are visually and spectroscopically similar to urine, has been developed at the National Calibration Reference Centre for Bioassay and In Vivo Monitoring in Canada. The method uses scans of absorbance versus wavelength, in the UV-VIS range (200-800 nm) to select diluted tea steeps that simulate urine. Tea solutions (1 and 10 %) were spiked with tritium and distributed to laboratories for performance testing (PT). The PT exercise was done as in a regular bioassay programme. The results showed that all samples satisfied the pass/fail conditions of the S-106 standard of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, suggesting that adjusted tea successfully simulated urine for the tritium PT programmes. Also, since unlike urine whose use may increase the probability of contaminating and transmitting diseases (e.g. hepatitis C), tea is a safer alternative. When needed, it can readily be prepared for the laboratories.
authors.affiliation: National Calibration and Reference Centre, Radiation Protection Bureau, Health Canada, 775 Brookfield Road, PL# 6302D, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1A 1C1. joseph.n.daka@hc-sc.gc.ca
authors.forename: Joseph N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Daka
authors.forename: Gerry
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Moodie
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dinardo
authors.forename: Gary H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Kramer
mesh_terms: D001681:Biological Assay / Q000592:standards*; D002170:Canada; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D009313:National Health Programs; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000592:standards*; D013662:Tea / Q000737:chemistry*; D014316:Tritium / Q000652:urine*
chemical_list: D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D013662:Tea; D014316:Tritium