Separation of actinides, cesium and strontium from marine samples using extraction chromatography and sorbents

The development of radioanalytical methods for low level radionuclides in marine environmental samples is presented. In particular, emphasis is placed on the introduction of extraction chromatography (EC) as a tool for improving the quality of results as well as reducing the analysis time. However, the advantageous application of EC often depends on the effective use of suitable preconcentration techniques, such as co-precipitation, to reduce the amount of matrix components which accompany the analytes of interest. On-going investigations in this field relevant to the determination of environmental levels of actinides, Cs-137 and Sr-90 are discussed.