A sensitive method to determine (210)Po and (210)Pb in environmental samples by alpha spectrometry using CuS micro-precipitation

A new sensitive method to determine polonium-210 ((210)Po) and lead-210 ((210)Pb) in a diversity of environmental samples was developed. For fresh and marine waters, Po was pre-concentrated using a titanium (III) hydroxide (Ti(OH)(3)) co-precipitation. Solid environmental samples were digested with nitric acid (HNO(3)) and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)). The alpha thin layer source was prepared using CuS micro-precipitation and (210)Po was measured by alpha spectrometry. Lead-210 was left to decay for up to a year and indirectly measured via its progeny, (210)Po. The chemical recoveries for (210)Po and (210)Pb were high, 90% and 97%, respectively, for a large variety of samples and a very low minimum detectable activity (MDA) was obtained. The method was validated using standardized solutions and certified reference materials.