Abstract
We investigated Ocean sediments and seawater from inside the Fukushima exclusion zone and found radiocesium (134Cs and 137Cs) up to 800 Bq kg−1 as well as 90Sr 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−1 radiocesium. 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 only 3H and even low 129I) leads to the conclusion that the purification techniques for reactor coolant employed at Fukushima Daiichi are very effective.
Highlights
Following the earthquake on March 11, 2011, a gigantic tsunami destroyed the cooling systems of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (NPP)(Japan) and caused partial melt-down of 3 reactor cores
We investigated Ocean sediments and seawater from inside the Fukushima exclusion zone and found radiocesium (134Cs and 137Cs) up to 800 Bq kg-1 as well as 90Sr up to 5.6 Bq kg-1
Analysis of the Unit 5 reactor coolant leads to the conclusion that the purification techniques for reactor coolant employed at Fukushima Daiichi are very effective
Summary
Following the earthquake on March 11, 2011, a gigantic tsunami destroyed the cooling systems of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (NPP)(Japan) and caused partial melt-down of 3 reactor cores. These nuclides have been monitored globally in air [2, 3] Less volatile radionuclides such as radiostrontium [4, 5], plutonium [6,7,8] or radionuclides that are difficult to measure, such as 3H [9, 10], 135Cs [11] or 35S [12] have been monitored much less frequently [13]. Several studies have addressed the impact of the accident on the Pacific Ocean and its organisms [16,17,18], our knowledge on the impact of the Fukushima nuclear accident on the marine environment is yet far from complete
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