Radiochemical methods used by the IAEA's Laboratories at Seibersdorf for the determination of 90Sr, 144Ce and Pu radionuclides in environmental samples collected for the International Chernobyl Project

Abstract During the IAEA's International Chernobyl Project to assess the radiological consequences of the nuclear reactor accident, the Agency's Laboratories at Seibersdorf participated in the collection and analyses of environmental samples from the Soviet Union. Under Task 2 of this effort, the determination of the activity concentrations of 90 Sr and the alpha-emitting Pu radionuclides was important for the corroboration of the official USSR environmental contamination maps. The present paper describes in detail the sampling methods and radiochemical procedures used for the 90 Sr, 144 Ce, 238 Pu and 239, 240 Pu analyses in these samples with emphasis on the grass and soil treatments.