Determinação de 226Ra em amostras de água potável por espectrometria alfa

Abstract

226Ra is one of the most important radioactive isotopes of natural uranium series in terms of radiation dose, due their relative long half-life (1,600 years) and high radiotoxicity. The Ministry of Health published Ordinance MS nº 2914 of 12/12/2011, which establishes procedures for control and surveillance of water quality for human consumption and its potability standard, the maximum limits allowed for this radionuclide. Demands for these determinations increased, justifying the development of faster and more accurate techniques for determination this radionuclide, since the technique used routinely takes about 38 days for this determination. Three different methods for determination of 226Ra were tested, with some changes made from the original methods. The method developed by Roman, which does not perform purification of radium, only making electrodeposition procedure for standard solutions, followed by alpha spectrometer counting, was ineffective, with very low recovery yields and with low spectral resolution. The method developed by United States Department of Energy (DOE) performs purification and uses 224Ra as yield tracer. Purification is carried out by means of cation exchange resin with subsequent electrodeposition and counting. The method tested indicated presence of interfering, and recovery yield of radium did not provide good result; spectral resolution was median, moreover, its yield tracer is a natural isotope and requires an extremely laborious procedure with radiochemical determinations in duplicate. The method developed by Crespo was being successively modified and complemented by the development of a new method. The method uses 225Ra as yield tracer. Radium was purified using Ln® resin and cation exchange resin and electrodeposited on a stainless steel disc from solution of ammonium oxalate, and counted by alpha spectrometry. This method produced spectra with high resolutions and high recovery yields of 226Ra. Furthermore, the method allows significant reduction in time required for determination of 226Ra in drinking water samples, around 4 days, in comparison with other methods, which can reach 20 or 38 days to quantify this radionuclide.