ASTM_D_4107_-_08_2013.pdf

Designation:D410708(Reapproved 2013)Standard Test Method forTritium in Drinking Water1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D4107;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This test method covers the determination of tritium indrinking water by liquid scintillation counting of the tritiumbeta particle activity.1.2 This test method is used successfully with drinkingwater.It is the users responsibility to ensure the validity of thistest method for untested water matrices.1.3 The tritium concentrations,which can be measured bythis test method utilizing currently available liquid scintillationinstruments,range from less than 0.037 Bq/mL(1 pCi/mL)to555 Bq/mL(15 000 pCi/mL)for a 10-mL sample aliquot.Higher tritium concentrations can be measured by diluting orusing smaller sample aliquots,or both.1.4 The maximum contaminant level for tritium in drinkingwater as given by the United States Environmental ProtectionAgency(U.S.EPA)National Interim Primary Drinking WaterRegulations(NIPDWR)is 0.740 Bq/mL(20 pCi/mL).TheNIPDWR lists a required detection limit for tritium in drinkingwater of 0.037 Bq/mL(1 pCi/mL),meaning that drinking watersupplies,where required,should be monitored for tritium at asensitivity of 0.037 Bq/mL(1 pCi/mL).In Appendix X1,EqX1.3 is given for determining the necessary counting time tomeet the required sensitivity for drinking water monitoring.1.5 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded asstandard.No other units of measurement are included in thisstandard.1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2D1129 Terminology Relating to WaterD1193 Specification for Reagent WaterD2777 Practice for Determination of Precision and Bias ofApplicable Test Methods of Committee D19 on WaterD3370 Practices for Sampling Water from Closed ConduitsD3648 Practices for the Measurement of Radioactivity3.Terminology3.1 DefinitionsFor definitions of terms used in this testmethod,refer to Terminology D1129.For terms not defined inthis test method or in Terminology D1129,reference may bemade to other published glossaries.34.Summary of Test Method4.1 In this test method,a 100-mL drinking water samplealiquot is treated with a small amount of sodium hydroxide andpotassium permanganate,distilled,and a specified fraction ofthe distillate is collected for tritium analysis.The alkalinetreatment is to prevent other radionuclides,such as radioiodineand radiocarbon from distilling over with the tritium.Somedrinking water supplies will contain trace quantities of organiccompounds,especially surface water sources that contain fishand other life.The permanganate treatment is to oxidize traceorganics in the sample aliquots which could distill over andcause quenching interferences.A middle fraction of the distil-late is collected for tritium analysis because the early and latefractions are more apt to contain interfering materials for theliquid scintillation counting process.4.2 As the sample distills,there is a gradient in the tritiumconcentration in the accumulating distillate due to isotopeeffects;therefore,it is important to collect the same fraction ofthe distillate for all samples and standards for tritium analysis.1This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D19 on Waterand is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D19.04 on Methods of Radiochemi-cal Analysis.Current edition approved June 15,2013.Published July 2013.Originallyapproved in 1991.Last previous edition approved in 2008 as D4107 08.DOI:10.1520/D4107-08R13.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.3American National Glossary of Terms in Nuclear Science and Technology,available from American National Standards Institute(ANSI),25 W.43rd St.,4thFloor,New York,NY 10036,www.ansi.org.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 4.3 The collected distillate fraction is thoroughly mixed anda portion(up to 10 mL)is mixed with liquid scintillatorsolution,and after dark adapting,is counted in the liquidscintillation counting system for tritium beta particle activity.5.Significance and Use5.1 This test method was developed for measuring tritium inwater to determine if the concentration exceeds the regulatorystatutes of drinking water.This test method also is a