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Further investigation of epithermal neutron activation analysis in the determination of heavy metals in the Arctic atmosphere

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Abstract

We have further explored the use of epithermal NAA with Compton suppression to establish the presence of barium, potassium, strontium and zinc in Arctic air filters. Silver was determined using cyclic epithermal NAA in air filters. For one-sixteenth of a Whatman air filter detection limits for barium, potassium, silver strontium, and zinc were 5, 7, 0.01, 1 and 0.9 μg, respectively. Results revealed that longer counting times for the activation products of barium, strontium and zinc would be needed to consistently achieve uncertainties less than 20 %.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the Air Quality Research Division of Environment Canada for the air filter samples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory, University of Texas at Austin, Pickle Research Campus R-9000, Austin, TX, 78712, USA

    Richard Lara & Sheldon Landsberger

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  1. Richard Lara
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  2. Sheldon Landsberger
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Correspondence to Sheldon Landsberger.

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Lara, R., Landsberger, S. Further investigation of epithermal neutron activation analysis in the determination of heavy metals in the Arctic atmosphere. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 307, 2465–2469 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-015-4524-4

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