Evaluation of EC Comparison on the Determination of 226Ra, 228Ra, 234U and 238U in Mineral Waters

This report describes all details of the comparison for the determination of 226Ra, 228Ra, 234U and 238U in mineral waters among 45 European laboratories monitoring radioactivity in food and the environment. Three commercially available mineral waters were provided as comparison samples. Reference values of the four radionuclides under study in this comparison were determined in collaborative work of IRMM and the Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz (BfS), using tracer techniques and standardised radionuclide solutions. The reference values are thus traceable to the SI units. The sample preparation and measurement processes applied in the participating laboratories are described and the results of the comparison are presented and discussed in detail. Whereas, in general, the measurement results for the uranium isotopes show a relatively favourable agreement with the reference value, the results of this comparison point at severe problems of 226Ra and 228Ra determination in about one fourth and more than one third of the laboratories, respectively. For radium, 19 results corresponding to 14 % of all are even off by a factor of two or more. By comparison, for uranium, this number amounts to 6 % (9 results out of 150). Nevertheless, also for the determination of uranium, 14 % to 23 % of the laboratories report results not compliant with the En evaluation criterion. The corresponding participants are urgently requested to investigate and revise their analytical methods.JRC.D.4-Nuclear physic