ASTM C998-17

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Designation: C998 − 05 (Reapproved 2010) C998 − 17
Standard Practice for
Sampling Surface Soil for Radionuclides
This standard is issued under the fixed designation C998; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
ε NOTE—The units statement in subsection 1.2 was added editorially in June 2010.
1. Scope
1.1 This practice covers the sampling of surface soil for the purpose of obtaining a sample representative of a particular area
for subsequent chemical analysis of selected radionuclides. This practice describes one acceptable approach to collect soil samples
for radiochemical analysis.
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility
of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory
limitations prior to use.
1.4 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization
established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued
by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
2. Referenced Documents
2.1 ASTM Standards:
C859 Terminology Relating to Nuclear Materials
D420 Guide to Site Characterization for Engineering Design and Construction Purposes (Withdrawn 2011)
D1129 Terminology Relating to Water
2.2 Other References:
MARLAP, Chapter 10
IAEA-TECDOC-1415, Soil Sampling for Environmental Contaminants
3. Terminology
3.1 Except as otherwise defined herein, definitions of terms are as given in Terminology C859.
3.2 Definitions:
3.2.1 sampling, n—obtaining a representative portion of the material concerned (see Terminology D1129).
4. Summary of Practice
4.1 Guidance is provided for the collection of soil samples to a depth of 50 mm. Ten core samples are collected in a specified
pattern and composited to obtain sufficient sample so as to be representative of the area.
5. Significance and Use
5.1 Soil provides a source material for the determination of selected radionuclides and serves as an integrator of the deposition
of airborne materials. Soil sampling should not be used as the primary measurement system to demonstrate compliance with
applicable radionuclides in air standards. This should be done by air sampling or by measuring emission rates. Soil sampling does
serve as a secondary system, and in many cases, is the only available avenue if insufficient air sampling occurred at the time of
an incident. For many insoluble radionuclides, the primary exposure pathway to the general population is by inhalation. The
This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee C26 on Nuclear Fuel Cycle and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee C26.05 on Methods of Test.
Current edition approved June 1, 2010June 1, 2017. Published June 2010July 2017. Originally approved in 1983. Last previous edition approved in 20052010 as
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C998 – 05.C998 – 05 (2010) . DOI: 10.1520/C0998-05R10E01.10.1520/C0998-17.
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C998 − 17
resuspension of transuranic elements has received considerable attention (1, 2) and their measurement in soil is one means of
establishing compliance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines on exposure to transuranic elements.
Soil sampling can provide useful information for other purposes, such as plant uptake studies, total inventory of various
radionuclides in soil due to atmospheric nuclear tests, and the accumulation of radionuclides as a function of time. A soil sampling
and analysis program as part of a preoperational environmental monitoring program serves to establish baseline concentrations.
Consideration was given to these criteria in preparing this practice.
5.2 Soil collected using this practice and subsequent analysis can be used to monitor radionuclide deposition of emissions from
nuclear facilities. The critical factors necessary to provide this information are sampling location, time of sampling, frequency of
sampling, sample size, and maintenance of the integrity of the sample prior to analysis. Since the soil is considered to be a
heterogeneous medium, multipoint sampling is necessary. The samples must represent the conditions existing in the area for which
data are desired.
6. Apparatus
6.1 Sampling Instrument —In order to standardize the sample collection, it is suggested that the coring tool be that instrument
used by golf courses to place the hole in the putting green. This instrument is commercially available at reasonable cost, has
approximately a 0.105-m diameter barrel, and can take samples down to 300 mm. An illustration of the sampling instrument and
its use is provided in Fig. 1.
6.2 Sample Container, such as metal cans with lids, plastic bags, etc.
6.3 Meter Stick.
6.4 Small Scoop.
7. Sampling
7.1 Introduction—The sampling depth for this practice is the top 50 mm of soil. Experience has shown this depth is best for
this purpose (3) and has been proven to provide samples for the analysis of deposited radionuclides following a recent airborne
release. The difference in concentration from previously collected samples at the same locations would be a measure of the
contamination. If the purpose of the sampling is to measure the total amount of a radionuclide deposited onto the soil, that is, from
fallout of previous atmospheric nuclear tests, then sampling must be conducted to a 300 mm depth. It is recommended by the EPA
(2) that soil sampling for plutonium be the top 10 mm of soil. Although this may be a desirable depth for resuspension studies in
certain parts of the country that have powdery, dry, loose, sandy soils, in most areas, the vegetative cover and root mat make this
The boldface numbers in parentheses refer to the list of references at the end of this standard.
Model 28200 Scalloped Style of the Standard Manufacturing Company of Cedar Falls, IA, or its equivalent, has been found satisfactory for this purpose.
FIG. 1 Soil Sampling Instrument and Use
C998 − 17
an unworkable sampling depth. Because the data may be used in various ways, it is important to accurately record the sample
location, the depth of the sample, and the sample weight. In order to obtain sufficient sample to be representative of the area, due
to the inherent heterogeneity of soil, it is recommended that a total sampling area of greater than 0.05 m be collected as described
in Section 8.
7.2 Site Selection:
7.2.1 As an idealized guideline, each site should be
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