Abstract: In this paper, an analytical method of ¹⁴C in environment water based on wet oxidation was presented. With the method the inorganic and organic carbon within about 20 L environmental water could be converted into CO₂, and then absorbed for measurement on a low level liquid scintillation counter (LSC). The methodology accuracy, the precision and the minimum detection concentration (MDC) were analyzed and presented. It is shown that the inorganic and organic carbon in environmental water could be extracted efficiently and stably, with the recoveries of 97.8% and 96.8% respectively. The method can be used reliably for the analysis of ¹⁴C in environmental water.

Key words: ¹⁴C, organic carbon, inorganic carbon, wet-oxidation, minimum detection concentration