Radiation measurements and radioecological aspects of fallout from the Fukushima nuclear accident

Abstract

Fallout from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident has been monitored for about 1 month in Thessaloniki, Northern Greece. Three different radionuclides, one short-lived, one relatively long-lived and one long-lived fission product were identified in air, precipitation, soil, grass and milk samples. The 131I, 137Cs and 134Cs activity concentrations in air reached 497, 145 and 126 μBq m−3, respectively on 4 April, 2011. The external exposure dose rate to humans of the order of 14.4 pSv per day due to 137Cs deposited on the ground was very small compared to the normal background level. The accumulated dose equivalent to the adult thyroid from inhaled 131I varied from 0.4 to 3.5 nSv per day was insignificant and there was not any problem for the Greek population and no preventive measures were needed to be provided against the nuclear accident according to the Greek Atomic Energy Commission, the official agent of the Greek Government. Some special radioecological aspects in the air-grass-cow-milk-man pathway for 131I were particularly studied.