Non-destructive Rapid Determination of Radium-226 in Soil Using Radon-222 Escape-to-Production Ratio

Abstract

It is greatly desirable that ²²⁶Ra in the environmental materials is rapidly determined for an accidental release. Radium-226 can be rapidly determined by being coprecipitated with barium sulphate. But, this method requires complicated chemical treatments.
We derived the formula for rapid determination of ²²⁶Ra in soil by gamma-ray spectrometry in consideration of ²²²Rn escape-to-production ratio of soil. Using this formula, ²²⁶Ra in soil could be determined within 2 days.
Furthermore, ²²⁶Ra content in the river-bed soil (weathered granitic rock) around Ningyoh-Tohge was almost the same level of that in the granitic rock in Japan. And, ²²²Rn escape-to-production ratios and ²²⁶Ra contents of the paddy, upland and virgin soils around Ningyoh-Tohge, which are volcanic ash, were in agreement with those of other volcanic ash soils.