Evaluation of uncertainty and detection limits in 210Pb and 210Po measurement in water by alpha spectrometry using 210Po spontaneous deposition onto a silver disk.

An easy and accurate method for the determination of (210)Pb and (210)Po in water using (210)Po spontaneous deposition onto a silver disk is proposed and assessed for its detection capabilities according to the ISO Guide for the expression of uncertainty in measurement (GUM) and ISO Standard 11929-7 concerning the evaluation of the characteristic limits for ionizing radiation measurements. The method makes no assumption on the initial values of the activity concentrations of (210)Pb, (210)Bi and (210)Po in the sample to be analyzed, and is based on the alpha spectrometric measurement of (210)Po in two different aliquots: the first one measured five weeks after the sampling date to ensure radioactive equilibrium between (210)Pb and (210)Bi and the second after a sufficient time for the ingrowth of (210)Po from (210)Pb to be significant. As shown, for a recommended time interval of seven months between (210)Po measurements, the applicability of the proposed method is limited to water samples with a (226)Ra to (210)Pb activity ratio C(Ra)/C(Pb) ≤ 4, as usual in natural waters. Using sample and background counting times of 24h and 240 h, respectively, the detection limit of the activity concentration of each radionuclide at the sampling time for a 1L sample typically varies between 0.7 and 16 mBq L(-1) for (210)Pb in water samples with an initial activity of (210)Po in the range 0-200 mBq L(-1), and between 0.6 and 8.5 mBq L(-1) for (210)Po in water samples with an initial activity of (210)Pb in the same range.