Evaluation of uranium and thorium in environmental monitoring program using NAA, k 0 method: case study at the Nuclear Technology Development Centre

The Environmental Monitoring Program in a nuclear installation meets the requirements of current Brazilian legislation. Th and U were evaluated according to the activities developed to process their ores. To verify the current methodology for analyzing the soil–plant system, refinements in sampling and sample preparation were proposed. Neutron activation analysis, k 0 method, was used to determine the mass fractions. The ANOVA test, R software and Tukey’s correction were applied. The study pointed out that the program can be improved with deep soil sampling, whole sampling of plants and the establishment of a common species at the sampling points.