{Reference Type}: Journal Article
{Title}: An alternative approach to efficiency tracking in thorium determination in fertilizers by alpha spectrometry.
{Author}: Szaciłowski G;
{Journal}: J Environ Radioact
{Volume}: 278
{Issue}: 0
{Year}: 2024 Sep 11
{Factor}: 2.655
{DOI}: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2024.107480
{Abstract}: Fertilizers play a key role in increasing crop yield per unit land answering the growing demand for food production. However, excessive or improper use of fertilizers can lead to several environmental issues including soil contamination. One of the known contaminants attributed to fertilizers are radionuclides. The goal of this study was to determine the concentration of thorium isotopes in several types of commonly used fertilizers produced in Poland. The methodology included the use of an alternative tracer (namely 228Th) to evaluate chemical recovery. The correctness of the proposed method was confirmed by analyzing certified reference materials. The obtained results showed that the activity concentration of 232Th was ranged from <0.34 Bq kg-1 for nitrogenous fertilizer up to 97 ± 22 Bq kg-1 for pure phosphate fertilizer.