The analysis of human nails for 24 elements via k0 and cyclic neutron activation analysis

The possibility of using human nails as a monitor for the exposure from occupation is presented. The concentrations of 24 elements in the human toenails from 129 construction workers were determined by cyclic instrumental neutron activation analysis (CINAA) and k0-standardization method. For CINAA, samples were irradiated and counted for three cycles with one day decay between cycles, and then the spectra were summed. The detection limits of fluoride, scandium, and silver were improved by a factor of two over conventional single irradiation method when CINAA was applied. Twenty two elements were determined using the k0 method. The accuracy and precision of the k0 method are discussed in this paper. ((orig.))