Assessing cost and effectiveness of radiation decontamination in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan

Yasutaka, Tetsuo; Naito, Wataru

doi:10.1016/j.jenvrad.2015.05.012

Cited by 61 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Across the affected Fukushima Prefecture, significant effort is being directed to the remediation of large areas of contaminated fields, forests, and hillslopes-with a total final cost of the clean-up currently estimated at between JPY 1.55 and 16 trillion, depending on the exact level of remediation work to be undertaken (Yasutaka and Naito, 2016). Additional work has, and is continuing, to be directed to the detailed analysis of the form, composition, and environmental behavior of the released material, not only to better understand the events surrounding the incident but also the spread of elemental species within the typhoon-impacted country.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of External Surface Irregularities on Fukushima-Derived Fallout Particles

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Three large high radioactivity particulate fragments, each several 100 μm in diameter, have been recovered from the region immediately surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Through the application of high-resolution electron and ion-beam methods, this work has sought to investigate the structure and composition of this fibrous surface morphology. By evaluating this, a potential material source can be determined, alongside important information relating to the conditions/events at the time of the reactor explosions and catastrophic release of radioactive materials. The results of this study show that the fibrous features associated with these large radiocesium-containing particles share a common elemental composition. With respect to the surrounding particle, the fibers are enriched in Si, Cl, and Fe, while depleted in both Zn and Al. Based on composition, these fibers are ascribed to thermal insulating material used within the plant, which was sufficiently heated during the loss of coolant incident at the plant to be incorporated into the molten ejecta material that rapidly solidified upon quenching in air. Elemental analysis of these fibers does not reveal any evidence of leaching or the presence of actinide materials.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of External Surface Irregularities on Fukushima-Derived Fallout Particles

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In November 2011, the Japanese government adopted the Act on Special Measures Concerning the Handling of Pollution by Radioactive Materials (Japanese Ministry of the Environment, 2011b) in order to reduce the impact of radioactive substances from the FDNPP accident on human health and the environment (Yasutaka and Naito, 2016). In support of this act, decontamination guidelines were released by the Japanese Ministry of Environment in December 2011 and updated in 2013.…”

Section: Areas Targeted By Decontaminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to the decontamination roadmap, the remediation programme had to be implemented in "special areas" where targets were set for the exposure of the public to external dose rates in order for residents to return to their day-today lives (Yasutaka and Naito, 2016). Achieving pre-accident radiation levels is not the objective; rather the effectiveness of decontamination will ultimately depend upon the land use and the air dose of each particular area.…”

Section: Areas Targeted By Decontaminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Second, Intensive Contamination Survey Areas (ICAs) refer to 102 municipalities from 8 prefectures with ambient dose rates exceeding 0.23 µSv h −1 (equivalent to 2 mSv yr −1 ), designated as ICAs by the Ministry of Environment on 28 December 2011 (Mori et al, 2017). The area of the ICAs is 8 times greater than the SDZ (Yasutaka and Naito, 2016). In particular, the decontamination methods and target areas for remediation in the ICAs differ from those of the SDZ with decontamination activities for the ICAs con- ducted by local governments with support from the central government.…”

Section: Areas Targeted By Decontaminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In particular, the decontamination methods and target areas for remediation in the ICAs differ from those of the SDZ with decontamination activities for the ICAs con- ducted by local governments with support from the central government. In total, the SDZ and ICAs cover a surface area of 8953 km 2 with a population that was not evacuated after the accident of ∼ 1.7 million (Yasutaka and Naito, 2016).…”

Section: Areas Targeted By Decontaminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Effectiveness of landscape decontamination following the Fukushima nuclear accident: a review

Evrard

Laceby

Nakao

2019

SOIL

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident in March 2011 resulted in the contamination of Japanese landscapes with radioactive fallout. Accordingly, the Japanese authorities decided to conduct extensive remediation activities in the impacted region to allow for the relatively rapid return of the local population. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of the decontamination strategies and their potential effectiveness in Japan, focussing on particle-bound radiocesium. In the Fukushima Prefecture, the decision was taken to decontaminate the fallout-impacted landscapes in November 2011 for the 11 municipalities evacuated after the accident (Special Decontamination Zone -SDZ -1117 km 2 ) and for the 40 non-evacuated municipalities affected by lower, although still significant, levels of radioactivity (Intensive Contamination Survey Areas, 7836 km 2 ). Decontamination activities predominantly targeted agricultural landscapes and residential areas. No decontamination activities are currently planned for the majority of forested areas, which cover ∼ 75 % of the main fallout-impacted region. Research investigating the effectiveness of decontamination activities underlined the need to undertake concerted actions at the catchment scale to avoid renewed contamination from the catchment headwaters after the completion of remediation activities. Although the impact of decontamination on the radioactive dose rates for the local population remains a subject of debate in the literature and in the local communities, outdoor workers in the SDZ represent a group of the local population that may exceed the long-term dosimetric target of 1 mSv yr −1 . Decontamination activities generated ∼ 20 million m 3 of soil waste by early 2019. The volume of waste generated by decontamination may be decreased through incineration of combustible material and recycling of the less contaminated soil for civil engineering structures. However, most of this material will have to be stored for ∼ 30 years at interim facilities opened in 2017 in the vicinity of the FDNPP before being potentially transported to final disposal sites outside of the Fukushima Prefecture. Further research is required to investigate the perennial contribution of radiocesium from forest sources. In addition, the re-cultivation of farmland after decontamination raises additional questions associated with the fertility of remediated soils and the potential transfer of residual radiocesium to the plants. Overall, we believe it is important to synthesise the remediation lessons learnt following the FDNPP nuclear accident, which could be fundamental if a similar catastrophe occurs somewhere on Earth in the future.

show abstract

Response, Contamination and Release Estimates

Martin

2019

Springer Theses

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Assessing cost and effectiveness of radiation decontamination in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan

Cited by 61 publications

References 4 publications

Analysis of External Surface Irregularities on Fukushima-Derived Fallout Particles

Analysis of External Surface Irregularities on Fukushima-Derived Fallout Particles

Effectiveness of landscape decontamination following the Fukushima nuclear accident: a review

Response, Contamination and Release Estimates

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About