Studies of surface and bulk 210Po in metals using an ultra-low background large surface alpha spectrometer.

First measurements of natural surface and bulk 210 Po specific activities for metals are reported. If covered with protective foils, the surfaces did not show indications of 210 Po and the obtained upper limits are in the range of single mBq m −2 . Weak bulk activities, in the range of 50 – 280 mBq kg −1 , were registered for Stainless Steel and Copper, while significant amounts of 210 Po, ∼1.5 Bq kg −1 , were detected in Titanium. One special Teflon sample was investigated with respect to its bulk 210 Po. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]