Overview
EN ISO 13165-2:2022 - Water quality - Radium-226 - Part 2: Test method using emanometry specifies an internationally harmonized laboratory method to determine radium-226 (226Ra) activity concentration in all types of water using emanometry. The procedure applies to soluble, suspended and total 226Ra where the soluble 226Ra concentration is greater than 0.02 Bq·L−1. The standard is the CEN-endorsed version of ISO 13165-2:2022 and replaces the 2020 edition.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Measurement principle: emanometry (collection and detection of emanating radon progeny from 226Ra decay).
- Scope of samples: suitable for surface waters, groundwaters, drinking waters, seawater, industrial and wastewaters - addressing soluble, particulate and total radium fractions.
- Sampling and storage: requirements for representative sampling and appropriate storage to preserve sample integrity prior to analysis.
- Sample preparation and measurement conditions: specified procedures for preparing samples, configuring emanometry systems, and counting procedures.
- Instrumentation details: practical information about bubblers (Annex B) and glass scintillation cells (Annex C - silver-activated zinc sulfide coating) used in emanometric detection.
- Quality assurance / quality control (QA/QC): instrument verification, calibration, method verification, analyst capability and influence parameters.
- Metrology and reporting: expression of results, estimation of standard uncertainty, decision threshold and detection limit calculations, and coverage intervals (including the shortest coverage interval in line with the ISO 11929 series).
- Reference material: decay chains of uranium and thorium provided in Annex A to aid interpretation of radioactivity sources.
Applications
- Regulatory compliance and drinking water monitoring: verifying Ra-226 levels against national limits and WHO guidance (e.g., guidance levels for radium in drinking water).
- Environmental monitoring: assessing radium from natural geology or industrial discharges (mining, phosphate processing).
- Laboratory testing services: routine analyses by accredited radiochemistry and environmental testing labs using standardized emanometry methods.
- Research and emergency response: baseline studies, impact assessments and post-incident monitoring where radium contamination is suspected.
Who should use this standard
- Environmental and public health laboratories
- Water utilities and suppliers monitoring drinking water radiological quality
- Regulatory bodies and compliance assessors
- Environmental consultants, mining and industrial operators
- Research institutions working on radionuclide transport and exposure
Related standards and references
- ISO 13165 series (other parts for radium measurements)
- ISO 11929 (detection limits, decision thresholds and coverage intervals)
- ISO/IEC Guide 98-3 (GUM - uncertainty evaluation)
- ISO 5667-20 (sampling guidance)
- World Health Organization (WHO) drinking-water radiological guidance
Keywords: EN ISO 13165-2:2022, Radium-226 testing, emanometry, water quality, radium in water, radionuclide testing, Ra-226 measurement.