Airborne Plutonium and Non-Natural Uranium from the Fukushima DNPP Found at 120 km Distance a Few Days after Reactor Hydrogen Explosions

Author(s)

Taeko Shinonaga, Peter Steier, Markus Lagos, Takehisa Ohkura

Abstract

Plutonium (Pu) and non-natural uranium (U) originating from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) were identified in the atmosphere at 120 km distance from the FDNPP analyzing the ratio of number of atoms, following written as n(isotope)/n(isotope), of Pu and U. The n(240Pu)/n(239Pu), n(241Pu)/n(239Pu), n(234U)/n(238U), n(235U)/n(238U) and n(236U)/n(238U) in aerosol samples collected before and after the FDNPP incident were analyzed by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS). The activity concentrations of 137Cs and 134Cs in the same samples were also analyzed by gamma spectrometry before the destructive analysis. Comparing the time series of analytical data on Pu and U obtained in this study with previously reported data on Pu, U, and radioactive Cs, we concluded that Pu and non-natural U from the FDNPP were transported in the atmosphere directly over a 120 km distance by aerosol and wind within a few days after the reactor hydrogen explosions. Effective dose of Pu were calculated using the data of Pu: (130 ± 21) nBq/m3, obtained in this study. We found that the airborne Pu contributes only negligibly to the total dose at the time of the incident. However the analytical results show that the amount of Pu and non-natural U certainly increased in the environment after the incident.

Organisation(s)

Isotope Physics

External organisation(s)

Helmholtz-Zentrum München - Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, Japan Atomic Energy Agency

Journal

Environmental Science & Technology

Volume

48

Pages

3808-3814

No. of pages

7

ISSN

0013-936X

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1021/es404961w

Publication date

04-2014

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

103037 Environmental physics, 103014 Nuclear physics

Keywords

Portal url

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/8575f9eb-bc49-449f-9051-ca5fdd01f845