Abstract
After Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants (NPP) accident, there has been significant radioactive contamination, raising concerns about the health of local populations. Radioactive particles can be inhaled and may also settle on the ground, where they can be disturbed by wind, spreading to agricultural areas and contaminating food and water sources. To address the need for quick screening methods to detect radioactive contaminants in food, especially given the limitations in analytical capabilities, researchers have turned to inductively Coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). This technique is favored for its high sensitivity and precision and can analyze a wide range of elements without being limited by ionization potential. As a result, ICP-MS is increasingly replacing thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) for accurate isotope ratio measurements of long-lived radionuclides. Other analytical methods, such as neutron activation analysis (NAA) and alpha/gamma-ray spectroscopy, are less effective for routine use. NAA does not allow for isotopic ratio analysis, while spectroscopic techniques often lack sufficient sensitivity. This study focus on the sample pretreatment methods and digestion techniques for determination of 235U in food samples using ICP-MS. An acceptable calibration curve of 235U with high linearity was obtained. The mixed fish (IAEA-414) certified reference material was used in this study. The measured value of 235U showed reasonable agreement with the that certified value with the dif ference below 30% when the sample was dried at 105°C for 12 hrs. and digested with nitric acid using microwave-assistant digestion procedure.
