Application of Reference Material IAEA A-13 as Ideal Substance for Comparative Studies of the Nuclear and Relative Analytical Method Precisions

Aims: To estimate method’s precision of five different analytical techniques when the chemical elemental contents in IAEA A-13 reference material were measured.

Methodology: The appraisal of using radionuclide energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (REDXRF), instrumental neutron activation analysis with high resolution spectrometry of short-lived radionuclides (INAA-SLR), instrumental neutron activation analysis with high resolution spectrometry of long-lived radionuclides (INAA-LLR), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to estimate chemical elements contents in samples of human blood was carried out with reference material (RM) IAEA A-13 (Animal Blood). For estimation of repeatability of the results, no less than 7 sub-samples of RM were measured. Five different analyzing methods were employed and one sample per one labor shift.

Results: Using results of method’s precision for each available chemical element, the level of repeatability were estimated for single, duplicate, triplicate and more replications. It was shown that REDXRF analysis of duplicated samples of dried blood with the level of repeatability within ±10% allows estimation of mass fractions of only Br. INAA-SLR analysis under the same conditions provides information on 4 elements (Cl, K, Mn, and Na), ICP-AES – for 7 elements (Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Na, P, and Zn), ICP-MS - for 2 elements (Rb and Zn), and for INAA-LLR no element level could be determined within limits of repeatability ±10%.

Conclusion: At present all five methods combined allow estimation of mass fractions for only 11 elements (Br, Ca, Cl, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P, Rb, and Zn) with repeatability <±10% if analysis of duplicated samples was used. Since the RM IAEA A-13 is virtually ideally homogenized material, the obtained estimates of the methods’ possibilities may be considered at most optimistic.