A new approach for reconstructing the 131I-spreading due to the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident by means of measuring 129I in airborne particulate matter

Mitsuru Ebihara; Yasuji Oura; N. Shirai; Yoshiyasu Nagakawa; Nomoru Sakurai; Hiromitsu Haba; Hiroyuki Matsuzaki; H. Tsuruta; Yuichi Moriguchi

doi:10.1016/j.jenvrad.2019.106000

A new approach for reconstructing the ¹³¹I-spreading due to the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident by means of measuring ¹²⁹I in airborne particulate matter

Mitsuru Ebihara^*, Yasuji Oura, N. Shirai, Yoshiyasu Nagakawa, Nomoru Sakurai, Hiromitsu Haba, Hiroyuki Matsuzaki, H. Tsuruta, Yuichi Moriguchi

^*Corresponding author for this work

School of Education

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

To retrieve the diffusion trajectory of the ¹³¹I dispersed in the environment by the nuclear power plant accident in Fukushima in 2011, airborne particulate matter (APM) samples collected in the Tokyo metropolitan area were analyzed for their ¹²⁹I contents by means of accelerator mass spectrometry. In evaluating blank levels of chemicals and filters used for collecting APM, we established the analytical procedure for determining the ¹²⁹I activity of as low as 10⁻⁸ Bq for a small piece of filter samples (about 0.1 cm²). Coupled with ¹³¹I data determined just after the accident, activity ratios of ¹²⁹I/¹³¹I were obtained with a mean value of 2.29 × 10⁻⁸ (±28% of a standard deviation). This value is systematically smaller than a mean value of soil samples by 16–24% and the inventory data by 27%, suggesting that ¹²⁹I was partly lost from APM. As ¹²⁹I can be a proxy of ¹³¹I for APM, it is possible to trace how ¹³¹I in the particulate phase spread in eastern Japan and, furthermore, evaluate the internal radiation exposure due to ¹³¹I by inhalation of ¹³¹I-containing airborne particulates.

Original language	English
Article number	106000
Journal	Journal of Environmental Radioactivity
Volume	208-209
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2019.106000
Publication status	Published - 2019 Nov

Keywords

Airborne particulate matter
Fukushima nuclear accident
I
I

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Environmental Chemistry
Waste Management and Disposal
Pollution
Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

Access to Document

10.1016/j.jenvrad.2019.106000

Cite this

Ebihara, M., Oura, Y., Shirai, N., Nagakawa, Y., Sakurai, N., Haba, H., Matsuzaki, H., Tsuruta, H., & Moriguchi, Y. (2019). A new approach for reconstructing the ¹³¹I-spreading due to the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident by means of measuring ¹²⁹I in airborne particulate matter. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 208-209, Article 106000. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2019.106000

Ebihara, M, Oura, Y, Shirai, N, Nagakawa, Y, Sakurai, N, Haba, H, Matsuzaki, H, Tsuruta, H & Moriguchi, Y 2019, 'A new approach for reconstructing the ¹³¹I-spreading due to the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident by means of measuring ¹²⁹I in airborne particulate matter', Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, vol. 208-209, 106000. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2019.106000

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title = "A new approach for reconstructing the 131I-spreading due to the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident by means of measuring 129I in airborne particulate matter",

abstract = "To retrieve the diffusion trajectory of the 131I dispersed in the environment by the nuclear power plant accident in Fukushima in 2011, airborne particulate matter (APM) samples collected in the Tokyo metropolitan area were analyzed for their 129I contents by means of accelerator mass spectrometry. In evaluating blank levels of chemicals and filters used for collecting APM, we established the analytical procedure for determining the 129I activity of as low as 10−8 Bq for a small piece of filter samples (about 0.1 cm2). Coupled with 131I data determined just after the accident, activity ratios of 129I/131I were obtained with a mean value of 2.29 × 10−8 (±28% of a standard deviation). This value is systematically smaller than a mean value of soil samples by 16–24% and the inventory data by 27%, suggesting that 129I was partly lost from APM. As 129I can be a proxy of 131I for APM, it is possible to trace how 131I in the particulate phase spread in eastern Japan and, furthermore, evaluate the internal radiation exposure due to 131I by inhalation of 131I-containing airborne particulates.",

keywords = "Airborne particulate matter, Fukushima nuclear accident, I, I",

author = "Mitsuru Ebihara and Yasuji Oura and N. Shirai and Yoshiyasu Nagakawa and Nomoru Sakurai and Hiromitsu Haba and Hiroyuki Matsuzaki and H. Tsuruta and Yuichi Moriguchi",

note = "Funding Information: This study was partly funded by the Environment Research and Technology Development Fund (MoE ERTDF #5-1501 ) and by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas ( JSPS KAKENHI # 24100002 , 241100008 and 24100009 ) defrayed by Ministry of the Environment and JSPS , respectively. We thank the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for loaning the used filter tapes of the Kakinoki-zaka SPM monitoring station. Constructive comments given by two reviewers and an associate editor are highly helpful for improving the manuscript, to whom our thanks go. Funding Information: This study was partly funded by the Environment Research and Technology Development Fund (MoE ERTDF #5-1501) and by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (JSPS KAKENHI # 24100002, 241100008 and 24100009) defrayed by Ministry of the Environment and JSPS, respectively. We thank the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for loaning the used filter tapes of the Kakinoki-zaka SPM monitoring station. Constructive comments given by two reviewers and an associate editor are highly helpful for improving the manuscript, to whom our thanks go. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2019 Elsevier Ltd",

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doi = "10.1016/j.jenvrad.2019.106000",

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AU - Ebihara, Mitsuru

AU - Oura, Yasuji

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AU - Nagakawa, Yoshiyasu

AU - Sakurai, Nomoru

AU - Haba, Hiromitsu

AU - Matsuzaki, Hiroyuki

AU - Tsuruta, H.

AU - Moriguchi, Yuichi

N1 - Funding Information: This study was partly funded by the Environment Research and Technology Development Fund (MoE ERTDF #5-1501 ) and by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas ( JSPS KAKENHI # 24100002 , 241100008 and 24100009 ) defrayed by Ministry of the Environment and JSPS , respectively. We thank the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for loaning the used filter tapes of the Kakinoki-zaka SPM monitoring station. Constructive comments given by two reviewers and an associate editor are highly helpful for improving the manuscript, to whom our thanks go. Funding Information: This study was partly funded by the Environment Research and Technology Development Fund (MoE ERTDF #5-1501) and by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (JSPS KAKENHI # 24100002, 241100008 and 24100009) defrayed by Ministry of the Environment and JSPS, respectively. We thank the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for loaning the used filter tapes of the Kakinoki-zaka SPM monitoring station. Constructive comments given by two reviewers and an associate editor are highly helpful for improving the manuscript, to whom our thanks go. Publisher Copyright: © 2019 Elsevier Ltd

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N2 - To retrieve the diffusion trajectory of the 131I dispersed in the environment by the nuclear power plant accident in Fukushima in 2011, airborne particulate matter (APM) samples collected in the Tokyo metropolitan area were analyzed for their 129I contents by means of accelerator mass spectrometry. In evaluating blank levels of chemicals and filters used for collecting APM, we established the analytical procedure for determining the 129I activity of as low as 10−8 Bq for a small piece of filter samples (about 0.1 cm2). Coupled with 131I data determined just after the accident, activity ratios of 129I/131I were obtained with a mean value of 2.29 × 10−8 (±28% of a standard deviation). This value is systematically smaller than a mean value of soil samples by 16–24% and the inventory data by 27%, suggesting that 129I was partly lost from APM. As 129I can be a proxy of 131I for APM, it is possible to trace how 131I in the particulate phase spread in eastern Japan and, furthermore, evaluate the internal radiation exposure due to 131I by inhalation of 131I-containing airborne particulates.

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