Environmental Applications Of 3H And 14C


14C and 3H are important environmental isotopes because they are incorporated in the air we breathe and in the foodstuffs we eat. Periodic (sometimes continuous) monitoring in the environs of any nuclear based facility is an essential requirement for their safe operation. RCD provides services for air sampling for 3H (Please see Sampling Equipment) and for the testing of foodstuffs, grass, milk, fish, vegetables etc.

Measurements in foodstuffs include:

Please note the tritium OBT measurement and the carbon-14 employ high pressure (bomb) combustion techniques. This process enables quantitative analysis of the carbon )and/or OBT) content of the combusted sample which, with known dry/wet ratios, can be directly linked to the content of the frsh foodstuff (ie Bq/kg wet weight).

In the case of tritium (OBT), please note that the result is obtained as an independent determination (unquenched, distilled water), not by subtraction from a total tritium measurement.