Measuring the Radioactivity of Water: The Activities of Subcommittee D19.04 on Methods of Radiochemical Analysis

摘要

The development of many methods for the analysis of radioactivity stems from the U.S. Manhattan Project during World War II more than 60 years ago. Concern for the potential health effects of both man-made and natural radioactivity in the environment has driven the need for environmental radioactivity methods. For many years since World War II, scientists from various nuclear facilities, and now U.S. national laboratories, had their favorite method of analysis and typically shared such information on a very restricted basis. Although some proprietary radiochemical methods still exist, the approach today is for an open forum, where methods and technology are developed and shared collaboratively. ASTM International was founded on this concept and Subcommittee D19.04 on Methods of Radiochemical Analysis has more than 40 years of experience in establishing radiochemical methods for the measurement of radioactivity in water.