Determination of 129I in Conifer Samples Around Nuclear Facilities in Argentina

An improved method has been developed that allows the determination of ¹²⁹I in conifers around nuclear facilities using neutron activation analysis. Pine and cedar needle samples were collected from the surroundings of Atucha and Embalse Nuclear Power Plants, Centro Atómico Ezeiza, as well as from background areas in Argentina. ¹³¹I was used as tracer. A chemical recovery of 98–100% was obtained for pre-irradiation distillations and total recovery was 70–85%. The minimal detectable amount (MDA) was 0.01 mBq/g of sample, depending on the total recovery, natural iodine concentration, irradiation time and neutron flux. The results presented in this paper are the first published from Argentina.