Isotopic evidence of plutonium release into the environment from the Fukushima DNPP accident

Zheng, Jian; Tagami, Keiko; Watanabe, Yoshito; Uchida, Shunsuke; Aono, Tatsuo; Ishii, Nobuyoshi; Yoshida, Satoshi; Kubota, Yoshihisa; Fuma, Shoichi; Ihara, Sadao

doi:10.1038/srep00304

Cited by 259 publications

(289 citation statements)

References 23 publications

(53 reference statements)

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Section: Pu Atom Ratiosmentioning

confidence: 50%

“…The 241 Pu/ 239 Pu atom ratio observed in the surface sediments ranged from 0.0012 to 0.0016, almost two orders of magnitude lower than the values (>0.1) derived from the FDNPP accident [ 6 ]. As mentioned in Sect.…”

Section: Pu Atom Ratiosmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…As the ES4 and ES5 stations are in the pathway of the Oyashio Current, they received more global fallout Pu than did the other stations investigated. The inventory-weighted 240 Pu/ 239 Pu atom ratio values were signifi cantly lower than the reported values (>0.30) for the FDNPP accident-released Pu [ 6 ] but typically in the background range before the nuclear accident.The 241 Pu/ 239 Pu atom ratio observed in the surface sediments ranged from 0.0012 to 0.0016, almost two orders of magnitude lower than the values (>0.1) derived from the FDNPP accident [ 6 ]. As mentioned in Sect.…”

mentioning

confidence: 86%

“…FDNPP-derived Pu has been characterized by high atom ratios of 240 Pu/ 239 Pu (0.303-0.330) and 241 Pu/ 239 Pu (0.103-0.135) [ 6 ]. Although the 240 Pu/ 239 Pu atom ratios in the sediments after the FDNPP accident were higher than the global fallout value, these values cannot be simply explained as the infl uence of the FDNPP accident because higher 240 Pu/ 239 Pu atom ratios were observed in a wide range of sea areas in the Western North Pacifi c before the accident as the result of the infl uence of PPG close-in fallout.…”

Section: Infl Uence Of the Fdnpp Accident On Pu Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Distribution of Plutonium Isotopes in Marine Sediments off Japan Before and After the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident: A Review

Zheng²,

Guo

et al. 2013

Radiation Monitoring and Dose Estimation of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident

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A large amount of radionuclides was released into the atmosphere and directly discharged into the ocean as a consequence of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident. The possible actinides, especially plutonium contamination in the ocean from the nuclear accident, attracted general public and scientifi c concern. In this review, we summarize studies of the distribution of Pu isotopes in the marine sediments off Japan before and after the FDNPP accident to assess possible Pu contamination from the nuclear accident. Our results suggested that there was no detectable additional Pu injection from the FDNPP accident in the marine environment 30 km off the FDNPP 1 year after the accident. The detectable Pu isotopes originated from global fallout and the Pacifi c Proving Ground close-in fallout. Keywords FDNPP • Marine sediments • Plutonium isotopes IntroductionOn March 11, 2011, the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) was hit and damaged by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake in the Northwest Pacifi c about 130 km off the northeast coast of Japan and the following gigantic tsunami. As a result, large amounts of radionuclides were released into the atmosphere and directly discharged into the sea. More than 70 % of the released radionuclides were deposited over the North Pacifi c Ocean [ 1 ]. Studies concerning the fi ssion products, such as 131 I and radiocesium, were carried out intensively after the nuclear accident. However, information about actinides, especially the plutonium (Pu) isotopes, is limited.Pu isotopes are of public and scientifi c interest because they are characterized by radiotoxicity and strong chemical toxicity. They contribute much to the longterm dose for humans because of their relatively long half-lives ( 238 Pu, 87.7 years; 239 Pu, 24,110 years; 240 Pu, 6,561 years; 241 Pu, 14.4 years) . Investigating the characterization of Pu isotopes in marine sediments is important for purposes of environmental monitoring and radiotoxicity assessment. Moreover, Pu isotopes are considered as new geochemical tracers for the study of oceanic processes, such as sedimentation and particle scavenging, and the isotopic composition of Pu ( 240 Pu/ 239 Pu) has been used as an important fi ngerprint for environmental radioactive source identifi cation [ 2 -5 ].Abnormal atom ratios of 240 Pu/ 239 Pu and 241 Pu/ 239 Pu, and activity ratios of 241 Pu/ 239+240 Pu and 238 Pu/ 239+240 Pu, have been reported in surface soil and litter samples in the 20-to 30-km zone around the FDNPP [ 6 , 7 ], suggesting the atmospheric release of Pu isotopes from the nuclear accident. For the marine environment, in previous studies [ 8 , 9 ] we investigated the distribution of Pu isotopes in marine sediments collected in the Pacifi c Ocean, 30 km off the FDNPP site, from July 2011 to July 2012 after the nuclear accident. Sakaguchi et al. [ 10 ] determined Pu concentration in seawaters in the Pacifi c, 50 km off the FDNPP, and they observed no significant amount of extra components from the nuclear accident...

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Section: Pu Atom Ratiosmentioning

confidence: 50%

Section: Pu Atom Ratiosmentioning

confidence: 86%

mentioning

confidence: 86%

Section: Infl Uence Of the Fdnpp Accident On Pu Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Distribution of Plutonium Isotopes in Marine Sediments off Japan Before and After the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident: A Review

Zheng²,

Guo

et al. 2013

Radiation Monitoring and Dose Estimation of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident

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“…Fortunately, very small quantities of radiostrontium (Steinhauser et al 2013) and plutonium (Zheng et al 2012;Schneider et al 2013) were deposited in the soil in most areas of Fukushima. Several months after the accident, the dominant radionuclides in the soil were 134 Cs and 137 Cs.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Wild Boars in Fukushima After the Nuclear Power Plant Accident: Distribution of Radiocesium

Tanoi

2016

Agricultural Implications of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident

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In the present chapter, I present the distribution of radiocesium in wild boars as well as the official monitoring data of wild boars from Fukushima. After the nuclear accident in 2011, the radiocesium contamination levels in wild boars from most places in Fukushima Prefecture exceeded 100 Bq/kg. The most contaminated wild boars were observed in Soso district where the radiocesium concentration in the soil was the highest in the entire Fukushima Prefecture. To understand radiocesium contamination in wild boars in more detail, we measured radiocesium concentrations in different organs and tissues of wild boars inhabiting Iitate Village in Soso district in 2012 and 2013. After capturing the wild boars, we collected 24 organs and tissues and put them into vials. Using an NaI(Tl) scintillation counter, we determined the concentrations of radiocesium ( 134 Cs and 137 Cs) and found that the levels were highest in the muscles (approximately 15,000 Bq/kg) and lowest in the ovaries (approximately 600 Bq/kg) in 2012, indicating a large variation between the organs and tissues. The trends were similar in 2012 and 2013. Observations of the contamination levels in wild boars could reveal the radiocesium availability in the forest and village ecosystem.

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Sources and Behaviour of Actinide Elements in the Environment

Denecke

Bryan

Калмыков

et al. 2018

Experimental and Theoretical Approaches to Actinide Chemistry

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Isotopic evidence of plutonium release into the environment from the Fukushima DNPP accident

Cited by 259 publications

References 23 publications

Distribution of Plutonium Isotopes in Marine Sediments off Japan Before and After the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident: A Review

Distribution of Plutonium Isotopes in Marine Sediments off Japan Before and After the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident: A Review

Wild Boars in Fukushima After the Nuclear Power Plant Accident: Distribution of Radiocesium

Sources and Behaviour of Actinide Elements in the Environment

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