title: Arrival time and magnitude of airborne fission products from the Fukushima, Japan, reactor incident as measured in Seattle, WA, USA.
abstract: We report results of air monitoring started due to the recent natural catastrophe on 11 March 2011 in Japan and the severe ensuing damage to the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear reactor complex. On 17-18 March 2011, we registered the first arrival of the airborne fission products (131)I, (132)I, (132)Te, (134)Cs, and (137)Cs in Seattle, WA, USA, by identifying their characteristic gamma rays using a germanium detector. We measured the evolution of the activities over a period of 23 days at the end of which the activities had mostly fallen below our detection limit. The highest detected activity from radionuclides attached to particulate matter amounted to 4.4 ± 1.3 mBq m(-3) of (131)I on 19-20 March.
authors: Department of Physics and Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
authors: J Diaz
authors: JD
authors: Leon
authors: D A
authors: DA
authors: Jaffe
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Kaspar
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Knecht
authors: M L
authors: ML
authors: Miller
authors: R G H
authors: RG
authors: Robertson
authors: A G
authors: AG
authors: Schubert
mesh_terms: D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D002947:Cities; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D011847:Radioactive Fallout / Q000032:analysis*; D018788:Radioactive Hazard Release; D011868:Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D013997:Time Factors; D014861:Washington
chemical_list: D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive; D011847:Radioactive Fallout; D011868:Radioisotopes