Determination of 7Be and 22Na activity in air and rainwater samples by gamma-ray spectrometry

Highlights: • Determination of ⁷Be in air and rainwater samples. • Detection of ²²Na in air samples in warm periods, although with relatively high uncertainties. • Chemical treatment of rainwater samples using cation exchange resin. - Abstract: Natural radionuclides, such as short lived radon daughters and ⁷Be, have been analyzed in aerosols at the Nuclear Engineering Department of the National Technical University of Athens (NED-NTUA) since many years, with high accuracy and precision. During this research, an effort to detect ²²Na and determine ⁷Be/²²Na ratio in aerosols is presented. In order to study the role of precipitation in surface air ⁷Be and ²²Na activity concentration, a procedure for collecting and analyzing rainwater was developed. With this technique ²²Na was detected in air samples, although with relatively high uncertainties.