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Isotope dilution sector-field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry combined with extraction chromatography for rapid determination of 241Am in marine sediment samples: A case study in Sagami Bay, Japan

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Abstract

241Am is a useful tracer for understanding biogeochemical processes in the marine environment. 241Am also poses a potential radiation threat to human health due to the continuous increase of its concentration in the global environment. We report a rapid analytical method for determining 241Am in marine sediments using isotope dilution sector-field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SF-ICP-MS) combined with a high-efficiency sample introduction system (APEX-Q). A selective CaF2 co-precipitation procedure followed by TRU extraction chromatography was employed to effectively remove the major sediment matrix and to pre-concentrate 241Am. We achieved an extremely low detection limit of 0.32 fg/g or 0.041 mBq/g (for 1 gram sediment), which is better than that of alpha spectrometry, and it allowed the accurate determination of 241Am in low-level marine sediment samples. The accuracy and precision of the developed analytical method was evaluated using a laboratory prepared Am isotope standard solution and Ocean Sediment reference material (IAEA-368). The results were satisfactory. For sediment samples, overall chemical recoveries varied from 60–90%. The developed method was applied to the study of 241Am depth distribution in Sagami Bay, Japan, where we observed different depth profiles between 241Am activity and 239+240Pu activity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nakaminato Laboratory for Marine Radioecology, Environmental Radiation Effects Research Group, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Isozaki-cho 3609, Hitachinaka, Ibaraki, 311-1202, Japan

    Jian Zheng & Masatoshi Yamada

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  1. Jian Zheng
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  2. Masatoshi Yamada
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Correspondence to Jian Zheng.

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Zheng, J., Yamada, M. Isotope dilution sector-field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry combined with extraction chromatography for rapid determination of 241Am in marine sediment samples: A case study in Sagami Bay, Japan. J Oceanogr 64, 541–550 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10872-008-0045-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10872-008-0045-x

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