The Determination of Gross Alpha Activity in Urine by Adsorption on Glass Fibre Filter Paper

Abstract

A description is given of work carried out to determine the optimum conditions for maximum surface adsorption of a number of alpha emitting radioelements on glass fibre filter paper. The effect of valency, pH and presence of pyrophosphate is discussed and a new technique for the determination of gross alpha activity in urine is given based on surface adsorption. Overall recoveries of thorium, protactinium, neptunium, plutonium, americium and curium are about 80 % using this procedure. The advantages of surface adsorption over conventional ion exchange are discussed and the development of other procedures based on this principle is suggested.