title: The Time-Dependent Transfer Factor of Radiocesium from Soil to Game Animals in Japan after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Accident.
abstract: Since the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident, monitoring of tissues from hunted game animals ensures compliance with the standard food limits for radionuclides in Japan. We quantified the transfer of (137)Cs from contaminated land to game animals using the Aggregated transfer factor (Tag = activity concentration in meat [Bq kg(-1) fw]/amount in soil [Bq m(-2)]) of (137)Cs for Asian black bear, wild boar, sika deer, green pheasant, copper pheasant and wild duck, collected between 2011 and 2015. Open data sources were used from Fukushima, Miyagi, Ibaraki, Tochigi, and Gunma prefectures. Our initially compiled data showed that the maximum reported (137)Cs activity concentration in wild boar after the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident were lower than those reported after the Chernobyl accident. The geometric mean Tag values (m(2)kg(-1) fw) of (137)Cs in 2015 for Asian black bear, wild boar, sika deer and copper pheasant were similar (1.9-5.1) × 10(-3) while those for green pheasant and wild duck were about 1 order of magnitude lower at (1.0-2.2) × 10(-4). Effective half-lives were 1.2-6.9 y except for sika deer and copper pheasant where no decreases were found. In contrast to the Chernobyl accident, no seasonal change occurred in the meat (137)Cs activity concentrations of the wild animals during the study period.
authors: Office of Biospheric Assessment for Waste Disposal, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology : Anagawa 4-9-1, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555, Japan.
authors: Keiko
authors: K
authors: Tagami
authors: Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre: Library Avenue, Bailrigg, Lancaster, LA1 4AP, United Kingdom.
authors: Brenda J
authors: BJ
authors: Howard
authors: Office of Biospheric Assessment for Waste Disposal, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology : Anagawa 4-9-1, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555, Japan.
authors: Shigeo
authors: S
authors: Uchida
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes; D062406:Fukushima Nuclear Accident; D007564:Japan; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D012987:Soil; D014165:Transfer Factor
chemical_list: D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes; D012987:Soil; D014165:Transfer Factor