Organically bound tritium (OBT) behaviour and analysis: outcomes of the seminar held in Balaruc-les-Bains in May 2012

¹ CEA/DAM/DIF, 91297 Arpajon, France
² AECL, Chalk River Laboratories, Chalk River, Ontario, Canada K0J 1J0
³ IRSN/PRP-ENV/STEME/LMRE, Bâtiment 501, Bois des Rames, 91400 Orsay, France
⁴ GAU-Radioanalytical, University of Southampton, NOC, European Way, SO14 3ZH, UK
⁵ ASN/DEU/BEN, Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire, 6 place du Colonel Bourgoin, 75512 Paris Cedex 12, France
⁶ IFIN-HH, 2 Horia Hulubei Inst Phys & Nucl Engn, 077125 Bucharest, Romania
⁷ Kyushu Univ, Radioisotope Ctr, Higashi Ku, Fukuoka 8128581, Japan
⁸ CEA/DEN//DRCP/CETAMA, BP 17171, 30207 Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France

Received: 22 October 2012
Accepted: 22 November 2012

Abstract

Within the last ten years there has been increasing interest in tritium behaviour and distribution in the environment. This is based partly on empirical findings that tritium discharged mostly as HTO can become transformed into organic forms in environmental samples. An international workshop was convened in France in 2012 to gather the scientific community interested in organically bound tritium to share their experience and to establish a current state of knowledge. This paper summarises the outcome of the workshop, which aimed to improve skills concerning OBT (Organically Bound Tritium) determination, transfer and behaviour in the environment. In order to improve OBT measurement credibility, it was decided to conduct and promote OBT analysis through inter-laboratory exercises. This practice will reduce uncertainty in OBT analysis results, providing better OBT model validation data and public dose assessments.