A simultaneous determination of lead-210 and polonium-210 in sea water

A new radiochemical procedure is described for the determination of lead-210 and polonium-210 in sea water. These nuclides are concentrated by coprecipitation with calcium carbonate from a sea water sample of large volume and then separated from calcium by formation of the hydroxides. Polonium-210 is deposited spontaneously onto a silver disc and determined by an α-counting technique. Lead-210 is also determined by counting the activity of polonium-210 produced during storage for 3 months.