FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

What is neutron activation analysis?

Neutron activation analysis is a highly sensitive elemental analysis technique. A prepared sample is exposed to neutrons, causing certain atoms in the sample to form radioactive isotopes. As those isotopes decay, they emit gamma rays with energies characteristic of particular elements.

By measuring the energy and intensity of these gamma rays, a laboratory can determine which elements are present and estimate their concentrations. The method can provide broad elemental information from a small sample and often requires less chemical digestion than many conventional elemental methods.

Why use neutron activation analysis?

NAA may be valuable when a project needs:

• Broad multi-element screening

• Trace-level elemental measurements

• Analysis of a relatively small sample

• Minimal chemical preparation

• Independent confirmation using a method based on nuclear rather than chemical properties

• Detailed elemental patterns for environmental or source-comparison studies

No single analytical method answers every water-quality question. Nibi-Clear evaluates whether NAA is appropriate for the project and identifies where complementary testing may be needed.

What do you need to test my water?

For most neutron activation analysis projects, Nibi-Clear needs at least 10 mL of water per sample. The exact volume may vary depending on the requested analysis, expected concentrations, sample type, and whether repeat measurements or additional testing are needed. Nibi-Clear is able to collect samples for you or if desired, you or your organization can collect independently.

If submitting samples independently, please provide:

• The general source of each sample, such as a private well, lake, river, tap, spring, wastewater site, or industrial location

• Any known safety concerns, including possible radioactivity, chemical contamination, or unusual sample conditions

• The standards, regulations, or comparison values you would like included in the report

• Any sampling-location, date, depth, or site information that should accompany the results

Nibi-Clear generally coordinates projects in batches, with a typical minimum of approximately four samples per analytical run. Contact us before collecting or shipping samples so we can confirm the appropriate containers, volume, labeling, preservation, and shipping procedures for your project.

What can Nibi-Clear test?

Nibi-Clear specializes in elemental analysis using neutron activation analysis, or NAA. This method can identify and quantify many elements within a sample, often at trace or very low concentrations.

Depending on the sample and analytical protocol, testing may provide information about elements such as:

Arsenic, Bromine, Cadmium, Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Selenium, Sodium, Uranium, Zinc, more elements can be seen on our How it Works Page

NAA measures elements, not every chemical compound containing those elements. For example, detecting arsenic does not automatically determine which chemical form of arsenic is present. Compound-specific testing, chemical speciation, microbiological testing, and certain regulated contaminants may require a different analytical method.

Can you test for PFAS?

PFAS cannot ordinarily be characterized through neutron activation analysis because PFAS testing requires compound-specific chemical analysis rather than general elemental measurement.

Nibi-Clear can coordinate PFAS analysis through a qualified partner laboratory. This service is separate from the standard NAA analysis and is typically priced at approximately $800 per sample, depending on the requested PFAS panel, sample matrix, reporting requirements, and current laboratory pricing.

Can you test for bacteria, viruses, or other microorganisms?

No. Neutron activation analysis is an elemental analytical method and does not determine whether bacteria, viruses, parasites, algae, or other microorganisms are present.

Microbiological water-quality questions require dedicated biological or culture-based testing. Nibi-Clear can help clarify whether separate microbiological testing should be included in a broader project plan.

Are there EPA workflow documents associated with neutron activation analysis?

Yes, but the applicability is specific.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published SW-846 Method 9022, Total Organic Halides by Neutron Activation Analysis. This method describes the use of NAA to determine total organic halides containing chlorine, bromine, and iodine in aqueous samples.

However, Method 9022 is not a universal EPA workflow for measuring every element in drinking water, and the availability of an EPA method does not mean that all NAA results are automatically acceptable for regulatory compliance.

EPA compliance programs frequently specify other methods for particular contaminants. For example, EPA Method 200.8 uses inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry for specified trace elements in waters and wastes. EPA also maintains separate approved methods for radionuclides in drinking water.

Nibi-Clear can use EPA standards, health-based values, environmental criteria, and other authoritative benchmarks to help interpret results. Unless expressly stated in the project agreement, however, Nibi-Clear testing should be understood as informational, investigative, research, screening, or forensic-level analysis, not automatically as regulatory compliance testing.

What data sovereignty protocols do you use?

Nibi-Clear recognizes that environmental data can affect communities, treaty resources, cultural practices, public policy, land management, legal matters, and future research. Our default position is that the client retains ownership and decision-making authority over the data generated from their samples.

Project-specific data governance terms may include:

• Identifying who owns the samples and analytical data

• Defining who may access raw data, processed results, and final reports

• Restricting disclosure to third parties

• Establishing whether locations or community identities should remain confidential

• Determining whether samples may be retained, returned, transferred, or destroyed

• Requiring permission before results are used in presentations, publications, educational materials, marketing, or research

• Establishing whether anonymized or aggregated findings may be used

• Defining review and approval procedures before public release

• Documenting the authority of a Tribe, community, organization, or individual to control future uses of the data

Nibi-Clear does not assume that permission to test a sample also grants permission to publish, share, commercialize, or reuse the resulting information. Any secondary use should be addressed through a written, project-specific agreement.

For projects involving Tribal Nations, Indigenous communities, culturally sensitive locations, or treaty-protected resources, we welcome additional protocols established by the community or governing authority. Data governance requirements should be discussed before samples are collected so they can be incorporated into the sampling plan, analytical agreement, reporting process, and data-storage procedures.

How much does testing cost?

Standard neutron activation analysis generally begins at approximately $400 per sample. Final pricing depends on the number of samples, sample matrix, requested elements, detection requirements, irradiation and counting procedures, reporting needs, and any special handling requirements.

Additional costs may apply for:

• Samples requiring radiological screening or specialized radioactive-material handling

• Expedited projects

• Formal chain-of-custody documentation

• Additional counting or confirmation measurements

• Customized regulatory or health-standard comparisons

• PFAS or other partner-laboratory testing

• Unusual, hazardous, or difficult sample matrices

A project estimate is provided before testing begins.

Why is there a minimum number of samples?

Neutron activation analysis requires coordinated access to specialized irradiation and radiation-detection facilities. Samples are commonly processed in analytical batches, so running several samples together makes testing more efficient and helps keep the per-sample price accessible.

Nibi-Clear generally requests approximately four samples per run, although smaller or larger projects may be possible depending on scheduling and project needs.

How long does testing take?

Turnaround time depends on reactor availability, irradiation scheduling, the radionuclides being measured, required decay periods, detector availability, repeat counting, quality-control review, and the complexity of the report.

Unlike immediate field tests, NAA may require samples to be counted at multiple times after irradiation. Nibi-Clear provides a project-specific turnaround estimate before samples are submitted.

Will my sample become radioactive?

During NAA, a prepared portion of the sample is exposed to neutrons, temporarily producing radioactive isotopes that can be identified through their gamma-ray emissions. The activated analytical portion is handled only by trained personnel at appropriately equipped facilities.

Samples may need to remain at the laboratory until their radioactivity has decayed to an acceptable level. Depending on the analytical protocol and facility requirements, the tested portion may not be returnable. Sample retention, return, or disposal requirements will be discussed before testing.

Do you test already-radioactive samples?

Potentially, but this must be disclosed before shipment.

Samples that are known or suspected to be radioactive may require preliminary gamma-ray screening, specialized packaging, additional detector measurements, facility approval, and modified handling procedures. These requirements can increase the project cost and turnaround time.

Do not ship a known or suspected radioactive sample without prior written authorization and shipping instructions.

What will I receive?

Nibi-Clear reports are designed to provide more than a list of numbers. Depending on the project, the final deliverables may include:

• Elements detected in each sample

• Measured concentrations and units

• Detection or reporting limits

• Quality-control information

• Comparison among sampling locations or collection dates

• Relevant environmental, drinking-water, or health-based benchmarks

• Identification of notable or elevated findings

• Limitations of the analytical method

• Recommendations for confirmation testing or additional investigation

Customized summaries, maps, tables, figures, and community-facing explanations may also be available.

Does detecting an element mean the water is unsafe?

Not necessarily.

Many elements occur naturally in water, soil, sediment, and rock. The significance of a result depends on the concentration, chemical form, exposure pathway, frequency and duration of exposure, intended water use, and the benchmark being applied.

Nibi-Clear places results in context by comparing them with relevant standards or guidance values when appropriate. A result above a screening value may indicate that additional investigation or confirmatory testing is warranted, but it should not be interpreted without considering the full sampling and analytical context.

Can Nibi-Clear determine where contamination came from?

Testing can help identify elemental patterns that are consistent with particular materials, environmental processes, or possible contamination sources. Comparing upstream and downstream sites, opposite shorelines, background locations, depths, or collection dates may make source patterns easier to evaluate.

However, a single water sample rarely proves the origin of contamination by itself. Strong source attribution usually requires a carefully designed sampling plan, multiple locations or time points, supporting environmental information, and sometimes additional analytical methods.