11 4 : CEA/HC 12 13 Corresponding author: 14 pierre.legoff@cea.fr -+333 80 23 40 00 -+333 80 23 52 09 15 16 Abstract 17 As one of the three natural isotopes of hydrogen, tritium is ubiquitous and might potentially 18 be present in any water or organic molecule that constitutes a biological matrix. Milk is one of 19 the most frequently monitored foodstuffs in the vicinity of chronic release of radionuclides, as 20 it is a very common product and also because it integrates deposition on large areas of grass at 21 a local scale. Different parameters have been studied to assess their impact on the reliability 22 of tritium measurements. The volume of the sample, the technique used to extract the water 23 and the level of dehydration modulate the results but in different ways: dispersion of results, 24 under-or overestimation of the tritium activity. The influence of sample storage and 25 preparation has also been investigated. Methodological improvements of tritium 26 measurements in the free water of milk are proposed. 27 28