Isotopic compositions of transuranic nuclides released by the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident: with emphasis on Cm isotopes
- 328 Downloads
- 6 Citations
Abstract
Isotopic composition of transuranic nuclides, with emphasis on Cm isotopes, were measured for environmental samples such as dust samples (black substances) from the roadsides and litter samples heavily contaminated by the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident. Low levels of 238Pu, 239,240Pu, 241Am, 242Cm and 243,244Cm were determined by α-spectrometry after radiochemical separation. These results, including radioactive Cs, provided an isotopic data set. When the activity ratios among these transuranic nuclides were compared with those of core inventories (Units 1–3) in the FDNPP estimated by the JAEA group, fairly good agreement was found, indicating that traces of transuranic nuclides, probably in the forms of fine particles, were released into the environment without their large fractionations. The obtained data may lead to more accurate information about the on-site situation (e.g., burn-up, conditions of fuel during the release phase, etc.), which would be difficult to receive otherwise, and on the dispersion and deposition processes of transuranic nuclides and the behavior of these nuclides in the environment.
Keywords
Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP Transuranic elements Cm isotopes Road dust sampleNotes
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to express their gratitude to Mr. K. Oyama, City Councilor in Minamisoma City, for his valuable help with the sampling. This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research No. 24110008 (Yamamoto 2012–2016 from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, MEXT, Japan).
References
- 1.NERH (Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters) (2011) Report of Japanese Government to the IAEA Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety—The Accident at TEPCO’s Fukushima Nuclear Power Stations, http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/kan/topics/201106/iaea_houkokusho_e.html
- 2.NSC (2011) Trial estimation of emission of radioactive materials (I-131, Cs-137) into atmosphere from Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power station. http://www.nsc.go.jp/NSCenglish/geje/2011%200412%20press.pdf
- 3.Butler D (2011) Nature 471:555–556. doi: 10.1038/471555a Google Scholar
- 4.Chino M, Nakayam H, Nagai H, Terada H, Katata C, Yamazawa H (2011) J Nucl Sci Technol 48:1129–1134CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 5.Hisamatsu S (2012) Environmental Impacts of the Fukushima Accident, Special issues. J Environ Radioactivity 111:1–126CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 6.Imanaka T, Endo S, Sugai M, Ozawa S, Shizuma K, Yamamoto M (2012) Health Phys 102:680–686Google Scholar
- 7.Yamamoto M, Takada T, Nagao S, Koike T, Shimada K, Hoshi M, Zhumadiov K, Shima T, Fukuoka M, Imanaka T, Endo S, Sakaguchi A, Kimura S (2012) Geochem J 46:341–353CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 8.Zheng J, Tagami K, Watanabe S, Uchida S, Aono T, Ishii N, Yoshida S, Kubota Y, Fuma S, Ihara S (2012) Sci Rep 2:304. doi: 10.1038/srep00304 Google Scholar
- 9.Sakaguchi A, Kadokura A, Steier P, Tanaka K, Takahashi Y, Chiga H, Nakashima S, Onda Y (2012) Geochem J 46:355–360CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 10.Nishihara K, Iwamoto H, Suyama K (2012) Estimation of Fuel Compositions in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Japan Atomic Energy Agency, September 2012. JAEA-Data/Code 2012–018:1–190Google Scholar
- 11.Yamamoto M, Komura K, Sakanoue M (1983) J Radiat Res 24:237–249CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 12.Yamamoto M, Kuwabara J, Assinder DJ (1998) Radiochim Acta 83:121–126Google Scholar
- 13.Yamato A (1982) J Radioanal Chem 75:212–265Google Scholar
- 14.Pigford TH, Ang KP (1975) Health Phys 29:451–468CrossRefGoogle Scholar