Tritium Solution Fixation by Superabsorbent Polymer for Occupational Exposure and Environmental Measurements

This paper deals with the use of "super absorbent" polymer beads to fix tritium from aqueous solutions. Such materials are capable of absorbing up to 300 times their weight of water, involving no mixing or stirring and without dissolving in water. The material of interest is a member of a family of polyacrylates, and its absorbent ability is a factor of the ionic strength of solution.

The paper will summarize the experiments that were conducted to identify proper ratios of absorbent beads to tritium solution and optimal time needed both for absorption and tritium determination (by liquid scintillation). The influence of co-contaminants and the effects of other parameters such as temperature and pH were also observed.

This method will serve to minimize the detection limits in radiotoxicological urine samples for occupational exposure and for environmental samples measurements, where tritium concentrations are extremely small.