Where the very soft beta radiation from tritium cannot be detected and measured readily because of its chemical or physical form, the more penetrating bremsstrahlung radiation can be measured as a con¬venient method of analysis. . Techniques are described for rap.id measurement of a large number of liquid or solid samples sealed in circular polyethylene bags, using a thin window sodium iodide crystal and multichannel analyzer. Disintegration rates are determined by comparison with the bremsstrahlung counting rate of standardized tritiated water. Empirical corrections are made for the differences in bremsstrahlung intensity due to sample composition. The method has been used in studies of hydrogen penetration into steel, the measurement of tritium absorbed in charcoal, the determination of tritium in contaminated and discolored pump oil, and in aqueous waste materials.
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