Strontium, one of the alkaline earth metals, occurs naturally on Earth and behaves similar to other group-2 elements such as Calcium and Barium. This is why strontium is considered as a bone-seeker, i.e. it tends to accumulate in the bones of humans and other animals when it is introduced into the body. In general, it is not hazardous to health. It does, however, have a radioactive isotope, strontium-90 (Sr-90), with a half-life of 28.8 yrs. It is a high-yield fission product and thus produced either during nuclear power operations or during the nuclear weapons tests in the past.

Different strontium compounds and cathode materials will be tested to explore the background and sensitivity for mass spectrometric measurements of Sr-90 using the 14-million-volt accelerator at the ANU. 

Eventually, the aim is to have the capability to detect Sr-90 in environmental samples with extremely high sensitivity and a rapid response time. This will lead to chemically processing and extracting strontium from environmental samples. This requires working in a chemistry laboratory; however, no prior chemistry knowledge is required.