These recommendations are a vocabulary of basic radioanalytical terms which are relevant to radioanalysis, nuclear analysis and related techniques. Radioanalytical methods consider all nuclear-related techniques for the characterization of materials where 'characterization' refers to compositional (in terms of the identity and quantity of specified elements, nuclides, and their chemical species) and structural (in terms of location, dislocation, etc. of specified elements, nuclides, and their species) analyses, involving nuclear processes (nuclear reactions, nuclear radiations, etc.), nuclear techniques (reactors, accelerators, radiation detectors, etc.), and nuclear effects (hyperfine interactions, etc.). In the present compilation, basic radioanalytical terms are included which are relevant to radioanalysis, nuclear analysis and related techniques.

A crucial part of any chemical analysis is the degree of representativeness of the measurand(s) in the test portion for the same measurands in the object, originally collected for investigation. Such an object usually may have either to be homogenized and sub-sampled, or digested/dissolved. Any of these steps introduce sampling errors, risk of contamination or loss of the measurand(s). Neutron (and photon) activation analysis and prompt gamma analysis have the capabilities of analyzing large objects or samples without the need of any pre-treatment, i.e., intact 'as received', with masses varying from tens of grams to tens of kilograms, and with any type of (irregular) shape. The basic concept of neutron activation analysis and prompt gamma analysis are shortly revisited and the scope of application of the large sample analysis with these technique are elaborated on with an outlook for use in forensic studies, including the analysis of medicinal products and drugs of abuse.

This study examines the potential to use instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) to explore temporal and geographical variation in exposure to heavy metals and other selected elements in common kestrel Falco tinnunculus using feathers from a natural history collection. The study gathered samples of two breast feathers from each of 16 adult male kestrel specimens from Naturalis Biodiversity Centre, collected in The Netherlands between 1901 and 2001. Feather samples were analysed for more than 50 elements, using INAA at the Reactor Institute Delft. Results (in mg/kg dw) were transformed into ratios of milligram of element per millimetre of feather length. The distribution of the mass fractions and ratios was plotted for each element against time and by geographical area. Observed mass fractions and/or ratios are discussed for selected elements (Hg, Cd, Zn, Pt, Pd, Se, Al, Rb, As, Sb, Cr, V, Cl, Br) known to have, at certain concentrations, adverse effects on raptors. Some samples show mass fractions of certain elements (Cr, Cd, Se, As) above levels known to have adverse effects. We conclude that the analysis of museum feathers using INAA provides reference values for concentrations of selected elements, including those of high societal concern such as Hg and Cd, against which to assess concentrations of these elements in feathers of present-day living raptor populations.

Three multi-element techniques employed for analysis of lichen transplants deployed at sites in Romania with strongly differing exposure to air pollutants were compared with respect to precision and determination limits for 54 elements. The results obtained for Evernia prunastri (unexposed and 6 months’ exposure at three sites) are presented here. The techniques were energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis (EDXRF), sector-field inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS), and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). From an assessment of the data the EDXRF values were preferred for 3 elements (Ni, Cu, Pb), ICPMS for 18 elements (B, Mg, P, Ga, Rb, Sr, Y, Mo, Ag, Cd, In, Sn, Cs, Ba, Pr, Hg, Tl, Bi), and INAA for 23 elements (Na, Al, Cl, Ti, Cr, Co, Se, Br, I, La, Ce, Sm, Eu, Tb, Dy, Yb, Lu, Hf, Ta, W, Au, Th, U). For the remaining 10 elements (S, K, Ca, Sc, V, Mn, Fe, Zn, As, Sb) two or all three techniques gave results of similar quality. In spite of good performance relative to certified reference materials the ICPMS data for some elements were systematic low relative to corresponding data from INAA and EDXRF, presumably because the samples contained mineral matter not dissolved in the nitric acid dissolution for ICPMS.