Surveillance of Strontium-90 in Foods after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident.
As a result of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (NPP) accident, various radionuclides were released into the environment. In this study, we surveyed strontium-90 ((90)Sr) concentrations in several foodstuffs. Strontium-90 is thought to be the third most important residual radionuclide in food collected after the Fukushima Daiichi, NPP accident after following cesium-137 ((137)Cs) and cesium-134 ((134)Cs). Results of (90)Sr analyses indicated that (90)Sr was detect in 25 of the 40 radioactive cesium (r-Cs) positive samples collected in areas around the Fukushima Daiichi NPP, ranging in distance from 50 to 250 km. R-Cs positive samples were defined as containing both (134)Cs and (137)Cs which are considered to be indicators of the after-effects of the Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident. We also detected (90)Sr in 8 of 13 r-Cs negative samples, in which (134)Cs was not detected. Strontium-90 concentrations in the r-Cs positive samples did not significantly exceed the (90)Sr concentrations in r-Cs negative samples or the (90)Sr concentration ranges in comparable food groups found in previous surveys before the Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident. Thus, (90)Sr concentrations in r-Cs positive samples were indistinguishable from the background (90)Sr concentrations arising from global fallout prior to the Fukushima accident, suggesting that no marked increase of (90)Sr concentrations has occurred in r-Cs positive samples as a result of the Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident.
National Institute of Health Sciences.
Hiromi
H
Nabeshi
Tomoaki
T
Tsutsumi
Yoshinori
Y
Uekusa
Akiko
A
Hachisuka
Rieko
R
Matsuda
Reiko
R
Teshima
D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis; D005504:Food Analysis; D005507:Food Contamination, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D062406:Fukushima Nuclear Accident; D011847:Radioactive Fallout; D013326:Strontium Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*
D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes; D011847:Radioactive Fallout; D013326:Strontium Radioisotopes