Optimisation and Validation of a Multi-matrix Ultrasensible Radiochemical Method for the Determination of Radiostrontium
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Optimisation and Validation of a Multi-matrix Ultrasensible Radiochemical Method for the Determination of Radiostrontium in Solid Foodstuffs by Liquid Scintillation Counting Marco Iammarino 1 & Daniela dell’Oro 1 & Nicola Bortone 1 & Michele Mangiacotti 1 & Antonio Eugenio Chiaravalle 1
Received: 30 January 2015 / Accepted: 12 April 2015 # Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015
Abstract Radiostrontium is a radiotoxic isotope, chemically an analogue to calcium. For this reason, it may follow similar pathways to this essential nutrient, and it is considered an important contaminant of several food supply chains. Different analytical methods are currently available for the determination of radiostrontium; however, they were optimised especially for the determinations in liquid (milk, water, etc.) and environmental matrices. Moreover, the validation procedures, necessary to assure methods reliability, are still lacking. In this work, a radiochemical analytical method for the determination of radiostrontium in several solid foodstuffs (meat, seafood, dairy products, wheat and derived products) was optimised and validated, following an in-house validation model, according to reference legislation. Good analytical performances were obtained. Method specificity and linearity were ascertained together with measurement uncertainty (equal to 16.0 %). The minimal detectable activity was equal to 8.0 mBq kg−1, while the mean repeatability (CV%) and recovery values were equal to 14.5 and 90.5 %, respectively. A test on a reference material was also effected, confirming method reliability for 90Sr quantifications in solid foodstuffs.
Keywords Radiostrontium . Meat . Seafood . Dairy products . Wheat . Validation . Liquid scintillation . Radioactivity . Beta emitters
* Antonio Eugenio Chiaravalle [email protected] 1
National Reference Center for the Detection of Radioactivity in Feed and Foodstuff, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Puglia e della Basilicata, Via Manfredonia 20, 71121 Foggia, Italy
Introduction Strontium isotope 90Sr is an anthropogenic radionuclide fission product characterised by high radiotoxicity due both to highenergy beta particles emission (Emax =546 keV) and to long radiological and biological half-life (28.6 years). 90Sr decays into 90Y which is also a beta emitter (high-energy beta particles, Emax =2.27 MeV; t1/2 =2.7 days) (St-Amant et al. 2011). 90 Sr may be present in the environment from nuclear accidents, authorised or unauthorised releases from nuclear facilities, and from atmospheric nuclear weapons testing (Vajda and Kim 2010). It is considered an important contaminant of several food supply chains because it may be transported into the environment moving down with groundwater and/or by adhering to soil. 90 Sr is chemically similar to calcium; consequently, it may follow similar pathways, and then it may be accumulated in calcium-rich foodstuffs, such as milk, dairy products, vegetables, and in animal feeds. This represents a high risk for food safety because 90Sr is a
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