Abstract
Studies on plutonium in the environment are mostly directed to the alpha emitting isotopes 238Pu and 239,240Pu. However, the largest contribution to the radioactivity of plutonium is due to the beta emitting isotope 241Pu. Plutonium was separated using anion exchange after leaching the 242Pu spiked sample with concentrated HNO 3 and HCl. One aliquot of the eluate was spiked with an additional plutonium tracer, 236Pu, and electrodeposited for alpha spectrometric determination of 238Pu and 239,240Pu in the sample and for the determination of chemical recovery in the solution before electrodeposition. The activity of 241Pu was measured in the second aliquot using a calibrated liquid scintillation counter. For quench correction, the external standard channels ratio method was applied. The counting efficiency of 241Pu was about 35% and the lower limit of detection with a counting time of 120 min was 1 pCi (37 mBq). The concentration of 241Pu in lichen was about 3000 and 800 pCi/kg in 1964 and 1970, respectively and 2.5 pCi/kg in reindeer liver in 1977. The maximum activity ratio of 241Pu to 239,240Pu, about 16, in 1965 is in good agreement with that given for fresh fallout.
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