A method is proposed for analyzing and evaluating the dynamics of self-decontamination of the region of the Fukushima-1 NPP contaminated by radioactive substances. The activity flux into the sea and average self-decontamination time of the territory due to decay and wash-off of the radionuclides 137Cs and 134Cs in the region of the NPP are obtained. The wash-off time constant of 137Cs for the contaminated territory is determined from the experimental data. It is significantly greater than for the basins of the other rivers studied. This is due to the hydrological particularities of the rivers in Japan. It is shown that the maximum dose rate in the region of contamination will decrease to the background level in approximately 200 years. It is determined that the 137Cs concentration in suspension does not depend on the water flow rate in the river; the 137Cs flux is proportional to this flow rate, including in floods.
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Translated from Atomnaya Énergiya, Vol. 117, No. 2, pp. 103–109, August, 2014.
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Kuchin, N.L., Laikin, A.I. & Platovskikh, Y.A. Prediction of Self-Decontamination of Contaminated Territory Near the Fukushima-1 NPP (Japan). At Energy 117, 130–137 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10512-014-9900-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10512-014-9900-6