Recent developments in environmental research using neutron activation analysis

In studies of the origin and fates of trace elements, it is advantageous to be able to analyze samples for a wide spectrum of elements with a high sensitivity and accuracy. This condition is best satisfied with instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), since it is one of the most sensitive, selective, and reliable multielement analysis techniques available. In spite of these advantages in environmental studies, use of the technique has been generally limited to aerosol and source material analysis. Over the last few years, the trace analysis and radiochemistry group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Nuclear Reactor Laboratory has applied INAA to various environmental samples for methodology development and/or to provide more information on some important environmental processes. Some examples of these studies are provided in this paper