Radiocesium concentrations in mushrooms collected in Kawauchi Village five to eight years after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

Abstract

Following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in March 2011, radionuclides such as iodine-131, cesium-134 and cesium-137 were released into environment. In this study, we collected wild mushrooms from the Kawauchi Village of Fukushima Prefecture, located less than 30 km southwest of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, to evaluate their radiocesium (134 Cs+ 137 Cs) concentrations and the risk of internal radiation exposure in local residents. 342 mushroom samples were collected from 2016 to 2019. All samples were analysed for radiocesium content by a high-purity germanium detector. Among 342 mushroom samples, 260 mushroom samples (76%) were detected the radiocesium exceeding the regulatory limit of radiocesium (100 Bq/kg for general foods in Japan). The median of committed effective dose from ingestion of wild mushrooms was in the range of 0.015-0.053 mSv in 2016, 0.0025-0.0087 mSv in 2017, 0.029-0.110 mSv in 2018 and 0.011-0.036 mSv in 2019 based on the assumption that Japanese citizens consumed wild mushrooms for 1 year. Thus, our study showed that although radiocesium is still detected in mushrooms collected in Kawauchi village even after 5 to 9 years later, the committed effective dose due to consuming mushrooms was lower than 1 mSv per year. Long-term comprehensive follow-up should monitor radiocesium concentrations in wild mushrooms to support the recovery of the community after the nuclear disaster.

The effects of different cooking modes on the 137Cs, 40K, and total K content in Boletus edulis (King Bolete) mushrooms

“…In particular, the incident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986 led to 137 Cs contamination of wild mushrooms in surrounding European regions (Betti et al 2017 ; Daillant et al 2013 ; Tucaković et al 2018 ). Similarly, the incident at the Fukushima-Daichi nuclear power plant in 2011 caused 137 Cs contamination of locally foraged mushrooms (Cui et al 2020 ), without showing any noticeable effect on the wild species collected in continental Asia and Europe (Falandysz et al 2018 ; Prand-Stritzko and Steinhauser 2018 ).…”

Evaluation of Residents’ Timing of Return to or New Settlement in Kawauchi Village, at 10 Years after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident

“…The present results found no significant difference between the timing of residents’ return to Kawauchi and their opinion regarding the safety of consuming wild plants gathered in the region. However, the levels of cesium in some wild foods (such as mushrooms) still exceed the standard values of 100 becquerels/kg in Japan [ 37 , 38 ]. Therefore, we should continue to communicate the risk of consuming wild foods as a focus for new residents in Kawauchi, including other areas affected by the nuclear accident.…”

Current 137Cs accumulation by mushrooms in different site types of scots pine forests of Ukrainian Polissia

“…Currently, despite more than 36 years since the Chornobyl disaster, radioactive contamination of macromycetes attracts the attention of researchers in Europe: Italy [1], Czech Republic [2], Slovakia [3], Poland [4,5], Bulgaria [6], Turkey [7]. After the accident at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, the radioecology of macromycetes obtained a new development in Asia -Japan [8,9] and China [10]. The largest number of studies on both continents is devoted to edible species of mushrooms, which are characterized by significant levels of 137 Cs accumulation and when frequently used, can cause significant levels of internal radiation exposure in the population [2,11].…”