title: Strontium-90 activity concentration in soil samples from the exclusion zone of the Fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant.
abstract: The radioactive fission product (90)Sr has a long biological half-life (˜18 y) in the human body. Due to its chemical similarity to calcium it accumulates in bones and irradiates the bone marrow, causing its high radio-toxicity. Assessing (90)Sr is therefore extremely important in case of a nuclear disaster. In this work 16 soil samples were collected from the exclusion zone (<30 km) of the earthquake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, to measure (90)Sr activity concentration using liquid scintillation counting. (137)Cs activity concentration was also measured with gamma-spectroscopy in order to investigate correlation with (90)Sr. The (90)Sr activity concentrations ranged from 3.0 ± 0.3 to 23.3 ± 1.5 Bq kg(-1) while the (137)Cs from 0.7 ± 0.1 to 110.8 ± 0.3 kBq kg(-1). The fact that radioactive contamination originated from the Fukushima nuclear accident was obvious due to the presence of (134)Cs. However, (90)Sr contamination was not confirmed in all samples although detectable amounts of (90)Sr can be expected in Japanese soils, as a background, stemming from global fallout due to the atmospheric nuclear weapon tests. Correlation analysis between (90)Sr and (137)Cs activity concentrations provides a potentially powerful tool to discriminate background (90)Sr level from its Fukushima contribution.
authors.affiliation: Project for Environmental Dynamics and Radiation Effects, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Sarata Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Sahoo
authors.affiliation: Project for Environmental Dynamics and Radiation Effects, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kavasi
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Physics and Chemistry, Fukushima Medical University, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan.|Institute of Radiation Emergency Medicine, Hirosaki University, 66-1 Hon-cho, Hirosaki City, Aomori 036-8564, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsuyuki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sorimachi
authors.affiliation: Project for Environmental Dynamics and Radiation Effects, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Arae
authors.affiliation: Institute of Radiation Emergency Medicine, Hirosaki University, 66-1 Hon-cho, Hirosaki City, Aomori 036-8564, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tokonami
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Physical Chemistry, Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Radzikowskiego 152, Poland.
authors.forename: Jerzy Wojciech
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Mietelski
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Physical Chemistry, Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Radzikowskiego 152, Poland.
authors.forename: Edyta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Łokas
authors.affiliation: Project for Environmental Dynamics and Radiation Effects, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yoshida
mesh_terms: D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis; D004190:Disasters; D004777:Environment; D062406:Fukushima Nuclear Accident; D005843:Geography; D006207:Half-Life; D007564:Japan; D055848:Nuclear Power Plants; D054043:Nuclear Weapons; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D011847:Radioactive Fallout / Q000032:analysis*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D013051:Spectrometry, Gamma; D013326:Strontium Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes; D011847:Radioactive Fallout; D012987:Soil; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive; D013326:Strontium Radioisotopes