Assessment of the suitability of the spectrometric method of measuring the specific activity of cesium-137 in water samples using scintillation gamma spectrometer and software "Progress"
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31073/onehealthjournal2025-IV-03Keywords:
cesium-137, control samples, gamma spectrometry, accuracy, precision, bias, method suitabilityAbstract
Cesium-137 is one of the primary radionuclides used as an indicator of environmental radiological contamination. Due to its relatively long half-life (30 years), it poses a significant radiological hazard, as it can penetrate and accumulate in various tissues and organs, causing internal exposure. To prevent the accumulation of radionuclides in the human body and reduce associated health risks, as well as to ensure the safety of food products in Ukraine and the European Union, maximum permissible levels of cesium-137 in food are regulated at the legislative level. Radiological monitoring of foodstuffs is routinely conducted using gamma-spectrometric analysis, which allows for rapid identification and quantification of radionuclide content. According to DSTU EN ISO/IEC 17025:2019 General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories, all analytical methods used by state laboratories must be validated and accredited. This article describes the procedure for conducting abbreviated validation of the method for measuring the specific activity of cesium-137 in control water samples artificially enriched with the analyte, using a scintillation gamma spectrometer. The study was conducted at the State Research Institute for Laboratory Diagnosis and Veterinary and Sanitary Expertise. The suitability of the method for its intended purpose was evaluated based on key parameters such as measurement accuracy and intermediate precision. The validation results demonstrated that the measurements of cesium-137 specific activity did not exceed the normative limits specified by the measurement method. Therefore, this method can be considered suitable for specific applications, providing accurate and reliable results.
References
Community Reference Laboratories Residues (CRLs) 20/1/2010 Guidelines for the validation of screening methods for residues of veterinary medicines (initial validation and transfer). Access mode: https://sitesv2.anses.fr/en/system/files/Guideline_Validation_Screening_en_0.pdf
Dutov O.I., Landin V.P., Melnychuk A.O., Grynyk O.I. (2015). Radiation-ecological aspects of the use of contaminated lands in the remote period after the Chernobyl disaster. Agroecological journal; 1: 115--121.
Magnusson, B. and Omemark, U. (2014) Eurachem Guide: The Fitness for Purpose of Analytical Methods: A Laboratory Guide to Method Validation and Related Topics. https://www.eurachem.org/images/stories/Guides/pdf/MV_guide_2nd_ed_EN.pdf.
Eurachem Guide: The Fitness for Purpose of Analytical Methods - A Laboratory Guide to Method Validation and Related Topics: B. Magnusson. (2016). https://www.eurachem.org/images/stories/Guides/pdf/MV_guide_2nd_ed_UA.pdf
Fesenko S., Jacob P., Ulanovsky A., Chupov A., Bogdevich I., Sanzharova N., Kashparov V., Panov A., Zhuchenka Y. (2013). Justification of remediation strategies in the long term after the Chernobyl accident. J. Environ. Radioact; 119: 39--47.
Gudkov, I. M. and Kashparov, V. O. (2012). 'Aktual'ni zavdannja i problemy sil's'kogospodars'koi' radioekologii' cherez chvert stolittja pislja avarii' na Chornobyl's'kij AES' [Actual problems and problems of agricultural radioecology in a quarter century after the Chernobyl disaster]; Visn ZhNAEU [Bulletin of ZNAMEU]; 1(1): 27–36.
Gupta D. K., Schulz W., Steinhauser G. and Walther C. I. (2018). 'Radiostrontium transport in plants and phytoremediation'; Environ Sci Pollut Res; Springer. doi.:10.1007/s11356-018- 3088-6.8.
IAEA (2011). Radiation protection and safety of radiation sources: international basic safety standards: general safety requirements. https://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Publications/PDF/Pub1578_web-57265295.pdf
Godyn, P., Dolhanczuk-Srodka, A., Ziembik, Z. et al. Influence of K on the transport of Cs-137 in soil–plant root and root-leaf systems in sugar beet. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 307, 325–331 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-015-4270-7
IAEA (2019). Nuclear Technology Review. Access mode: https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/gc/gc63-inf2.pdf
Keskovsky M., Kaizer J., Kontul I., Lujaniene G., Mullerova M., Povine P.P. (2019) Analysis of Environmental Radionuclides. In: Handbook of Radioactivity, 4th edition (Ed. M.F. L'Annunziata). Academic Press, New York, p. 137-261.
Konoplev, A. (2020). Mobility and Bioavailability of the Chernobyl-Derived Radionuclides in Soil–Water Environment: Review. In: Konoplev, A., Kato, K., Kalmykov, S. (eds) Behavior of Radionuclides in the Environment II. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3568-0_3.
Kashparov V., Salbu B., Levchuk S., Protsak V., Maloshtan I., Simonucci C., Courbet C., Nguyen H. L., Sanzharova N., Zabrotsky V. (2019). Environmental behaviour of radioactive particles from chernobyl. Journal of environmental radioactivity, 208-209, 106025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2019.106025.
Kotelevych V. (2019). Actual problems of quality and safety of food products in the context of providing food security in the Zhytomyr region. Scientific Messenger of LNU of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnologies. Series: Veterinary Sciences, 21(93), 155-159. https://doi.org/10.32718/nvlvet9327.
Malimon, Z., Kochetova, H., Gusak, L., & Shuliak, S. (2023). Radiation situation in the contaminated territories of ukraine in the post-chornobyl period from 2013 to 2022. One Health Journal, 1(IV), 70–76. https://doi.org/10.31073/onehealthjournal2023-IV-07
Russell B.C., Croudace I.W., Warwick P.E. (2015). Determination of 135Cs and 137Cs in environmental samples. A review. Analytica Chimica Acta, doi: 10.1016/ j.aca.2015.06.037
Romanchuk L., Lopatiuk O., Kovalchuk Y., Kovalova S. (2019). Evaluation of the content of 137cs radionuclide in food products of forest origin of residents of radioactively contaminated territories in the long-term period after the chernobyl accident. Scientific Horizons, 22(11), 108-112. 10.33249/2663-2144-2019-84-11-108-112.
Zdrojewicz Z., Szlagor A., Wielogorska M., Nowakowska D., Nowakowski J. (2016). Influence of ionizing radiation on human body. Family Medicine & Primary Care Review, 18(2), pp.174-179. https://doi.org/10.5114/fmpcr/43945
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 One Health Journal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
