ABSTRACT
The naturally occurring concentrations of radium in public and private water supplies have been of studied for many years. The retention of radium on a normal cation exchange resin depends on the volume and hardness of the water, as well as the flow rate. While it is expected that conditions will be found in which the radium retention will be reduced, this should not occur for potable waters. The accuracy and precision of the radium retention were determined by adding varied known amounts of Ra and Ra to 20 L of tap water. The possible extension of this method to soils, sludges, and other samples was evaluated by adding known amounts of uranium and thorium ore standards to “sea sand”. The samples were mixed by stirring and by shaking. The results are also included in and indicate that this method can be used to process samples of all types.
