title: Imaging plant leaves to determine changes in radioactive contamination status in Fukushima, Japan.
abstract: The chemical composition of plant leaves often reflects environmental contamination. The authors analyzed images of plant leaves to investigate the regional radioactivity ecology resulting from the 2011 accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, Japan. The present study is not an evaluation of the macro radiation dose per weight, which has been performed previously, but rather an image analysis of the radioactive dose per leaf, allowing the capture of various gradual changes in radioactive contamination as a function of elapsed time. In addition, the leaf analysis method has potential applications in the decontamination of food plants or other materials.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Radiation Biology and Medical Genetics, Graduate School of Medicine; †Research Center for Nuclear Physics; ‡Radioisotope Research Center, Osaka University; §Headquarters of Fukushima Partnership Operations, Japan Atomic Energy Agency.
authors.forename: Hiroo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.forename: Mamoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujiwara
authors.forename: Isao
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tanihata
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Norihiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Todo
mesh_terms: D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism*; D062406:Fukushima Nuclear Accident; D007564:Japan; D057054:Molecular Imaging; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants