Fast procedure for self-absorption correction for low γ energy radionuclide 210Pb determination in solid environmental samples

Low-energy X and gamma radiations (for example of Pb-210: E (gamma) = 46.5 keV) are effectively self-absorbed even in thin environmental samples, including air filters with captured dust or contaminated soil, as well as in bottom sediment matrixes with limited quantities of the samples. In this paper, a simple method for the direct analysis of Pb-210 (T (1/2) = 22.3 years) by gamma-ray spectrometry in environmental samples with self-absorption correction is described. The method is based on the comparison of two gamma peak activities coming from other natural radionuclides, usually present in environmental samples. We have analyzed the dependence of the self-absorption correction factor for the Pb-210 activity on the activity ratios of 911 and 209 keV peaks and 609 and 295 keV peaks coming from nuclides of U-238 or Th-232 rows, present in typical environmental samples.