An improved procedure for the determination of Po by alpha spectrometry in sediments samples from Danube Delta.

The aim of this work is to find the optimal procedure for Po leaching from sediment samples. An improved method is described, the optimization consisting in a substantial reduction of leaching time. The method was tested on IAEA standard reference materials and compared with the classical procedure. The repeatability was estimated by analyzing seven duplicates of IAEA 385 Irish Sea sediment. However, the results are satisfactory only when the method is applied for sediments with high organic content. For silicates, a mixture of three acids was used for a complete digestion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]