Mapping cesium fallout from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant
S. Himmelstein | October 23, 2019The fate of cesium-rich microparticles released in March 2011 from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Maps reflect the number of cesium-rich microparticles/g of soil, and the fraction of total soil cesium radioactivity associated with microparticles. Source: Satoshi Utsunomiya/Kyushu Universityaccident in Japan is now being defined, based on the spatial distribution of particles and their radioactive fraction in surface soil. An international research team applied the analytical method to soils from within and outside the event’s nuclear exclusion zone, generating a quantitative map of cesium-rich microparticle distribution.
Soils in two regions impacted by fallout from the accident contained 22.1 to 101 cesium-rich particles/g with a radioactive fraction of 15% to 37%. A third study site contained 1 to 8 microparticles/g, which accounted for 27% to 80% of total soil cesium radioactivity. These mapped distributions are consistent with the plume trajectories of material released from the nuclear power plant.
Reactor unit 3 is identified as the likely source of the cesium-laden particles. Researchers from Kyushu University, University of Helsinki, University of Tsukuba, Tokyo Institute of Technology and Stanford University hope that the preparation of quantitative maps of radioactive contaminant distribution can be used to assess risks in inhabited regions.