Scalable Dialysis-Based Method for the Isolation of Strontium from Milk for Radioanalysis

High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide An ashless dialysis-based method for the convenient and timely removal of strontium from milk for radioanalysis has been described for samples ranging from 100 to 500 mL following a brief (30 min) treatment with formaldehyde solution. Overall strontium recovery is suitably high and remarkably consistent across all sample sizes (81–84%), with the final isolation of strontium from milk comfortably achieved within 32 h. For strontium carrier quantification and quality assurance purposes, two chromatographic high-pressure ion chromatography methods were developed to fully resolve strontium from the cationic mineral constituents of milk, as well as yttrium, while method validation was performed with a certified reference material (IAEA-152 milk powder) containing strontium-90. This methodology is highly amenable to concurrent multisample processing which, considering its scalability, makes it well-suited to environmental surveillance of radiostrontium in milk for both routine and emergency response applications.