Radionuclides in surface waters around the damaged Fukushima Daiichi NPP one month after the accident: Evidence of significant tritium release into the environment

Abstract

Following the Fukushima nuclear accident (2011), radionuclides mostly of volatile elements (e.g., 131 I, 134,137 Cs, 132 Te) have been investigated frequently for their presence in the atmosphere, pedosphere, biosphere, and the Pacific Ocean. Smaller releases of radionuclides with intermediate volatility, (e.g., 90 Sr), have been reported for soil. However, few reports have been published which targeted the contamination of surface (fresh) waters in Japan soon after the accident. In the present study, 10 surface water samples (collected on April 10, 2011) have been screened for their radionuclide content ( 3 H, 90 Sr, 129 I, 134 Cs, and 137 Cs), revealing partly unusually high contamination levels. Especially high tritium levels (184 ± 2 Bq•L -1 ; the highest levels ever reported in scientific literature after Fukushima) were found in a puddle water sample from close to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The ratios between paddy/puddle water from one location only a few meters apart vary around 1% for 134 Cs, 12% for 129 I ( 131 I), and around 40% for both 3 H and 90 Sr. This illustrates the adsorption of radiocesium on natural minerals and radioiodine on organic substances (in the rice paddy), whereas the concentration differences of 3 H and 90 Sr between the two waters are mainly dilution driven.

Monitoring of Tritium Internal Exposure Doses of Heavy-Water Reactor Workers in Third Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant

“…Querfeld et al 14 reported that 10 surface water samples (collected on April 10, 2011) have been screened for their radionuclide content ( 3 H, 90 Sr, 129 I, 134 Cs, and 137 Cs). The highest levels, 184 ± 2 Bq/L, ever reported in scientific literature after Fukushima were found in a puddle water sample from close to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP1).…”

A Test Chamber Investigation of the Effect of Charging on Aerosol Deposition on Indoor Surfaces

“…Aerosols acquire charge due to both beta decay and alpha decay, and it is not only the aerosols but also the surrounding air that becomes ionized (Gensdarmes et al, 2001). Radioactive aerosols may contain a mixture of radionuclides (Cuddihy et al, 1989;Querfeld et al, 2019), and this will influence the charge; many other factors also contribute, including the specific radionuclide activity, the aerosol concentration and particle size, and the asymmetry parameter of the ion flux. A radioactive aerosol can be partially neutralized by ion pairs produced in the surrounding region from the decay of other radioactive aerosols in its vicinity, but this may change when there is dilution with air that is less heavily ionized; in this case, the radioactive aerosol concentration will decrease, and the ability of radioactive decaygenerated ion pairs to interact with neighboring aerosols will decrease.…”

Comparison of Three Different Entry Molecules for Probing a Metabolic Response to Radiation Exposure by Two‐Dimensional NMR Spectroscopy

“…1 This exposure may stem from major radiation crises, such as the Fukushima nuclear plant, which is still an ongoing disaster, continuously leaking radioactive materials and contaminating freshwater, sea water, air, and soil. [2][3][4] In addition to these rare but catastrophic accidents, people are also frequently or constantly exposed to the everyday irradiation from these types of sources, which include cosmic rays, naturally abundant radioisotopes, and the X-rays from hospitals. 5 People are worried about radioactivity, because they can be directly affected by it and the devastating effects that can take place many years later or even in the next generation.…”