Performance analysis of different methods to determine 131I in water samples for environmental monitoring

There are different standard procedures to measure 131I concentration in water samples. For environmental monitoring purposes the best radiochemical procedure is the one that optimizes the following criteria: (a) lowest detection limit; (b) quickest preparation time; (c) lowest cost of preparation; and (d) does not involve hazardous chemicals. Iodine can easily form simple compounds or bind to complex organic molecules, which can be problematic for obtaining precise activity measurements from radiochemical procedures. In this study, a comparative analysis of three different iodine determination techniques was performed to determine the most time and cost effective technique for environmental monitoring purposes.