Instrumental neutron activation analysis limits of detection in the presence of interferences

Many tables of neutron activation analysis (NAA) limits of detection, in the absence of interferences, for various irradiation and counting conditions, may be found in the literature. This paper presents a method for estimating, in advance, the instrumental NAA limits of detection for any elements of interest in any given matrix, including ones generating high interference levels. The rationale of the method is presented, and the procedure for applying it is illustrated.