Determination of plutonium isotopes in bilberry using liquid scintillation spectrometry and alpha-particle spectrometry

This paper presents a-particle spectrometry and liquid scintillation spectrometry methods to determine plutonium isotopes in bilberry. The analytical procedure involves sample preparation steps for ashing, digestion of bilberry samples, radiochemical separation of plutonium radioisotopes and their measurement. The validity of the method was checked for coherence using the zeta test, z-test, relative bias and relative uncertainty outlier tests. The results indicated that the recommended procedures for both measurement systems could be successfully applied for the accurate determination of plutonium activities in bilberry samples. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.