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In the usual measurements of radionuclides in the environmental samples by g-ray spectrometry, Compton scattering of 1461 keV g-rays from 40K severely interferes with the detection of artificial radionuclides in marine and agricultural products. In order to eliminate the interference of 40K, we have developed a simple and convenient “water leaching treatment' method applicable to seaweed (sargasso) samples. By this treatment, over 98% of the potassium in seaweed samples is removed without notable losses of artificial and/or natural radionuclides. In combination with the low-level g-ray counting in the Ogoya underground laboratory, the detection limit could be improved by ~1 order of magnitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]