title: Fukushima-derived radionuclides in sediments of the Japanese Pacific Ocean coast and various Japanese water samples (seawater, tap water, and coolant water of Fukushima Daiichi reactor unit 5).
abstract: We investigated Ocean sediments and seawater from inside the Fukushima exclusion zone and found radiocesium (134Cs and137Cs) up to 800 Bq kg-1as well as90Sr up to 5.6 Bq kg-1. This is one of the first reports on radiostrontium in sea sediments from the Fukushima exclusion zone. Seawater exhibited contamination levels up to 5.3 Bq kg-1radiocesium. Tap water from Tokyo from weeks after the accident exhibited detectable but harmless activities of radiocesium (well below the regulatory limit). Analysis of the Unit 5 reactor coolant (finding only3H and even low129I) leads to the conclusion that the purification techniques for reactor coolant employed at Fukushima Daiichi are very effective.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Meguro-Ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shozugawa
authors.affiliation: Institute of Radioecology and Radiation Protection, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Herrenhäuser Straße 2, 30419 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Beate
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Riebe
authors.affiliation: Institute of Radioecology and Radiation Protection, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Herrenhäuser Straße 2, 30419 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Clemens
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Walther
authors.affiliation: Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, 1618 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523 USA.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brandl
authors.affiliation: Institute of Radioecology and Radiation Protection, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Herrenhäuser Straße 2, 30419 Hannover, Germany ; Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, 1618 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523 USA.
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Steinhauser
keywords: 129I; 3H; 90Sr; Cesium; Environmental radioactivity; Fukushima; Pacific Ocean