title: A method of measurement of (239)Pu, (240)Pu, (241)Pu in high U content marine sediments by sector field ICP-MS and its application to Fukushima sediment samples.
abstract: An accurate and precise analytical method is highly needed for the determination of Pu isotopes in marine sediments for the long-term marine environment monitoring that is being done since the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. The elimination of uranium from the sediment samples needs to be carefully checked. We established an analytical method based on anion-exchange chromatography and SF-ICP-MS in this work. A uranium decontamination factor of 2 × 10(6) was achieved, and the U concentrations in the final sample solutions were typically below 4 pg mL(-1), thus no extra correction of (238)U interferences from the Pu spectra was needed. The method was suitable for the analysis of (241)Pu in marine sediments using large sample amounts (>10 g). We validated the method by measuring marine sediment reference materials and our results agreed well with the certified and the literature values. Surface sediments and one sediment core sample collected after the nuclear accident were analyzed. The characterization of (241)Pu/(239)Pu atom ratios in the surface sediments and the vertical distribution of Pu isotopes showed that there was no detectable Pu contamination from the nuclear accident in the marine sediments collected 30 km off the plant site.
authors: State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.
authors: Wenting
authors: W
authors: Bu
authors: Jian
authors: J
authors: Zheng
authors: Qiuju
authors: Q
authors: Guo
authors: Tatsuo
authors: T
authors: Aono
authors: Hirofumi
authors: H
authors: Tazoe
authors: Keiko
authors: K
authors: Tagami
authors: Shigeo
authors: S
authors: Uchida
authors: Masatoshi
authors: M
authors: Yamada
mesh_terms: D062406:Fukushima Nuclear Accident; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D011005:Plutonium / Q000032:analysis*; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic / Q000379:methods; D014501:Uranium / Q000032:analysis*; D014875:Water Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014875:Water Pollutants, Radioactive; D014501:Uranium; D011005:Plutonium