Radionuclide Pollution Inside the Fukushima Daiichi Exclusion Zone, Part 1: Depth Profiles of Radiocesium and Strontium-90 in Soil

Details

• Personal Author:
  Ball JE ; Brandl A ; Hori M ; Johnson TE ; Korschinek G ; Nanba K ; Rosenberg BL ; Shozugawa K ; Steinhauser G
• Description:
  In June 2013 and July 2014, soil samples were collected from unremediated locations within Fukushima prefecture, with special focus on the Fukushima exclusion zone. The soil samples were analyzed for radiocesium by gamma spectroscopy, and then 90Sr by liquid scintillation counting (LSC) after ion specific extraction chromatography. Activity concentrations are compared between sampling years, sampling sites, and soil layers, revealing a general downward trend in activities but also some inconsistencies. Maximum activity concentrations of 137Cs in soil were found in close vicinity of the gate of Fukushima Daichi Nuclear Power Plant and reached up to 106 Bq·kg-1 in 2013. Thirteen months later, these maximum levels were lower by a factor of at least 5. Activity ratios of 90Sr/137Cs were usually around 2 · 10-4, but locally increased to the 10-3 range, and in one spot even to the 10-1 range. Finally, attempts were made to analyze rare radionuclides in environmental samples from this area, in particular tritium (3H) and 60Fe, however no traces were found in the vegetation and soil samples, respectively. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Environmental Pollution Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  3H 60Fe 90Sr Author Keywords: 137Cs Environmental Contamination Fukushima Nuclear Accident Natural Disasters Nuclear Reactor Accidents Radionuclides Soil Soil Analysis Soil Sampling Tritium

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• ISSN:
  0883-2927
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; OSHA Region 8
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  201-208
• Volume:
  85
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069044
• Citation:
  Appl Geochem 2017 Oct; 85(Pt B):201-208
• Contact Point Address:
  Georg Steinhauser, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Institute of Radioecology and Radiation Protection, D-30419 Hannover, Germany
• Email:
  steinhauser@irs.uni-hannover.de
• CAS Registry Number:
  Cesium-137 (CAS RN 10045-97-3) ; Tritium (CAS RN 10028-17-8)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• Performing Organization:
  University of Colorado, Denver
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Part Number:
  B
• Start Date:
  20070701
• Source Full Name:
  Applied Geochemistry
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0587cb8b39384ef9ab7dd2aa0cc529339772ccd2be51a50096b5f2ea5182528a538718cc44861ab5947a4199863008c12db347053c5b9797d4ded17e6123bdb7
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/207594/cdc_207594_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.70 MB ]