Ultra-trace determination of 90Sr, 137Cs, 238Pu, 239Pu, and 240Pu by triple quadruple collision/reaction cell-ICP-MS/MS: Establishing a baseline for global fallout in Qatar soil and sediments

The development of practical, fast, and reliable methods for the ultra-trace determination of anthropogenic radionuclides Sr-90, Cs-137, Pu-238, Pu-239, and Pu-240 by triple quadruple collision/reaction cell inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (CRC-ICP-MS/MS) were investigated in term of its accuracy and precision for producing reliable results. The radionuclides were extracted from 1 kg of the environmental soil samples by concentrated nitric and hydrochloric acids. The leachate solutions were measured directly by triple quadrupole CRC-ICP-MS/MS. For quality assurance, a chemical separation of the concerned radionuclides was conducted and then measured by single quadrupole-ICP-MS. The developed methods were next applied to measure the anthropogenic radionuclides Sr-90, Cs-132, Pu-238, Pu-239, and Pu-240 in soil samples collected throughout the State of Qatar. The average concentrations of Sr-90, Cs-137, Pu-238, Pu-239, and Pu-240 were 0.606 fg/g (3.364 Bq/kg), 0.619 fg/g (2.038 Bq/kg), 0.034 fg/g (0.0195 Bq/kg), 65.59 fg/g (0.150 Bq/kg), and 12.06 fg/g (0.103 Bq/kg), respectively. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.