Chapter 22:Determination of Polonium-210 and Lead-210 in Iron- and Steel-Making Materials

This paper presents details of the challenges encountered when measuring 210Po and 210Pb, originally present in trace amounts in raw materials and then concentrates in the form of dusts during iron ore sintering, and validating radioanalytical methods in the absence of suitable reference materials. In-house radioanalytical methods for the measurement of these two radionuclides in a wide range of iron and steel-making materials including raw materials, waste dusts and emission samples have been developed. The methods have been validated and accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) according to the International Standard Organisation (ISO) 17025.