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Interlaboratory Comparisons of 14C Measurements in Milk and Vegetation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

G. M. Milton ,
S. J. Kramer  and
J. C. D. Milton
G. M. Milton
Affiliation:
Environmental Research Branch, Chalk River Laboratories, Chalk River, Ontario, Canada K0J 1J0
S. J. Kramer
Affiliation:
Environmental Research Branch, Chalk River Laboratories, Chalk River, Ontario, Canada K0J 1J0
J. C. D. Milton
Affiliation:
Nuclear Physics Branch, Chalk River Laboratories, Chalk River, Ontario, Canada K0J 1J0
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Abstract

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The need for increased quality assurance for radiocarbon measurements performed by the monitoring laboratories at nuclear stations has spurred the introduction of a number of interlaboratory comparisons. We organized two such intercomparisons: the first set, circulated in 1994, consisted of two milk samples, one containing current global levels of 14C, the other containing an added spike of 14C-methylated casein. The second set, circulated in 1995, consisted of two samples of natural vegetation growing on the site of the Chalk River Laboratories (CRL), containing two different levels of 14C, both well above global background. The response to our invitation to participate in these studies was very encouraging; six laboratories took part in the first intercomparison, eleven in the second. The list included both monitoring laboratories and those whose main function is 14C dating. Understandably, some of the latter preferred not to analyze the higher-activity samples. The results in 3 of the 4 data sets were consistent with a statistical distribution based on the reported errors. This report provides details of two intercomparisons, including the preparation of the samples, which may now be considered potential secondary reference materials, the range of analytical techniques in use at the participating laboratories, and a statistical analysis of the results returned to us.

Type
Part 1: Methods
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 40 , Issue 1: 16th International Radiocarbon Conference 16-20,1997 Groningen , 1997 , pp. 299 - 311
Copyright
Copyright © The American Journal of Science 

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