On the use of different scintillation cocktails for determining gross alpha and beta activities in water samples

Gross alpha and beta indices for water samples are generally measured in environmental radioactivity laboratories. Liquid scintillation spectrometers can be used to determine these indices but different factors could affect the measurements. Several scintillation cocktails and different radionuclides have been used for calibration. Quenching effects must be considered for each cocktail because the results can be different depending of the calibration and cocktail used. - Highlights: • Gross alpha and beta indices are jointly measured by liquid scintillation. • Four different scintillation cocktails were used: UGAB, HS3, IG and LC. • 226Ra, natural uranium, 241Am, 209Po, and 242Pu were used for calibration. • Quenching corrections must be considered for each cocktail. • The choice of the standard and cocktail influences the results