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To understand the influence of the Fukushima accident on the Northwest Pacific, the distributions and transportations of 134Cs and 137Cs in the seawater in the Northwest Pacific in May and September 2015 were studied. The data showed that the Fukushima-derived 134Cs and 137Cs at some stations can still be distinguished from background level ~ 4 years later. On the whole, the activities of 137Cs and 134Cs in seawater were decreasing from May to Sep 2015. But the increased inventories and the surface activities of 137Cs imply that there has ever been an extra 137Cs from offshore water transported to this study area (from 31° N to 27° N, 145° E to 152.5° E) in May 2015. The average activities of 137Cs in subtropical gyre area in south of KE were the highest and the least were to the east of Luzon Strait in 2015. In vertical direction, 137Cs in subtropical gyre area were mainly distributed at 100 ~ 500 m layer and 137Cs only at 500 m layer in this area showed an increasing trend from May to Sep 2015 which reflects more 137Cs were still penetrating to deeper layer of 500 m from upper water. But they were almost not found below 1000 m layer. It was associated with the subsurface transport of radiocesiums by Northwest Pacific Mode Water (NPMW) and the diffusion of mesoscale eddy. Different distribution characteristics of 137Cs existed between north of KE and south of KE. The low-temperature-low-salinity water mass likely to be the first Oyashio Intrusion was the main factor that resulted in higher 137Cs appearing at the upper 100 m layers in north of KE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The invasion of Ukraine and military operations around Ukrainian nuclear power plants and other nuclear facilities have prompted us to search for radiocaesium in mosses from the Kopački Rit Nature Park in Croatia, since mosses are known bioindicators of airborne radioactive pollution, and Kopački Rit is a known low radiocaesium background area. Sampling was finished in August 2023, and our analysis found no elevated radiocaesium levels. Kopački Rit therefore remains a suitable place for future detection of anthropogenic radioactive pollutants.

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A study of the accumulation of radionuclides 90Sr, 134Cs, and 137Cs by the marsh frog Pelophylax ridibundus Pall., 1771 living in the areas of the reservoirs of the Middle Urals has been carried out. The variability of size and mass indicators and concentrations of radionuclides in animals in the surveyed area is noted. Increased concentrations of 137Cs and 134Cs are detected in some amphibian representatives when compared with average values. A significant decrease in the concentration of 90Sr in frogs with an increase in raw body weight is found in much statistical material. An analysis of the data obtained on the concentrations of 90Sr and 137Cs in frogs of different sexes did not reveal a significant difference in the accumulation of either radionuclides between male and female animals or 90Sr by striata and strieless amphibians. It is shown that radionuclides 90Sr and 137Cs enter the body of an animal from water much more than from the ground, while, with an increase in the concentration of radionuclide in the habitat, the coefficients of their transition into the animal body decrease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participation in proficiency tests is an essential part of quality assurance activities for any laboratory involved in radiation metrology. Radioanalytical laboratory, Health Physics Division, BARC, regularly participates in national and international proficiency tests to demonstrate its radiometric capabilities for estimation of low-level natural and anthropogenic radionuclides in environmental matrices. The laboratory has been participating in annual IAEA Proficiency Tests conducted by Terrestrial Environmental Laboratory (TEL), IAEA, for estimation of natural radionuclides as well as fission and activation products in natural and spiked samples. This paper presents the results of estimation of 134Cs and 137Cs (two most important anthropogenic radionuclides that may be released from nuclear reactors during accident conditions) in spiked water samples in last five years of IAEA Proficiency Tests during 2018–2022. All results were lying well within 1σ level of the target values indicating the excellent analytical capability of this laboratory for analysis of 134Cs and 137Cs in aquatic environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to estimate the internal dose of radiation in Japanese macaques (aka Nihonzaru or snow monkey) due to the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident. Images of a male Japanese macaque weighing ~10 kg were acquired using a multi-slice computed tomography (CT) scan with a 64-row segment detector. The CT images were used to create voxel phantoms of the bones, bone marrow, brain, eyes, heart, lungs, stomach, liver, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, intestines, bladder, testes, thyroid and miscellaneous tissue. The Particle and Heavy Ion Transport System (PHITS) Monte Carlo code was used to calculate the internal exposure rate conversion factors for 134Cs, 137Cs and 131I isotopes for the created voxel phantoms with a statistical precision higher than 1%. The PHITS-calculated energy deposits were compared with those for rhesus monkeys. The results showed that the fractions of energy deposits for β-radiation in different organs were almost identical between the two species. For γ-radiation, there was excellent agreement in the self-absorption rate with the approximate curve of the Japanese macaque, with an average deviation of 2%. The maximum deviation of 12% was for the kidney, which has two organs, so the error with the approximate curve is slightly larger due to the energy loss created between organs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiocontaminated Cryptomeria japonica from Iitate village in Fukushima was analyzed in terms of the bark, sapwood and heartwood. Both 134Cs and 137Cs activities were confirmed in these wood components. The sum of 134Cs and 137Cs activities was the highest in the bark, the lowest in the sapwood and that of the heartwood in between. Although the holocellulose isolated from the bark was contaminated by 134Cs and 137Cs activities, these radiocesiums were not detected in the holocelluloses from sapwood and heartwood. Similar results were obtained for dioxane lignins isolated from sapwood and heartwood. An examination of the FTIR spectra of holocelluloses and dioxane lignins from the bark, sapwood and heartwood of C. japonica originated from radiocontaminated Iitate, and radiocontamination-free Fuji areas revealed that the structures of the constitutions of the former wood were not altered by the radiocontamination. Furthermore, the FTIR spectra of the outer bark and inner bark holocelluloses from the artifically 137Cs-impregnated Fuji tree were similar to those of the outer bark and inner bark holocelluloses of the radiocontaminated Iitate tree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study considers the exposure of the population of the most contaminated Gomel and Mogilev Oblasts in Belarus to prolonged sources of irradiation resulting from the Chernobyl accident. Dose reconstruction methods were developed and applied in this study to estimate the red bone-marrow doses (RBMs) from (i) external irradiation from gamma-emitting radionuclides deposited on the ground and (ii) 134Cs, 137Cs and 90Sr ingestion with locally produced foodstuffs. The mean population-weighted RBM doses accumulated during 35 years after the Chernobyl accident were 12 and 5.7 mGy for adult residents in Gomel and Mogilev Oblasts, respectively, while doses for youngest age groups were 20–40% lower. The highest mean area-specific RBM doses for adults accumulated in 1986–2021 were 63, 56 and 46 mGy in Narovlya, Vetka and Korma raions in Gomel Oblast, respectively. For most areas, external irradiation was the predominant pathway of exposure (60–70% from the total dose), except for areas with an extremely high aggregated 137Cs soil to cow's milk transfer coefficient (≥ 5.0 Bq L−1 per kBq m−2), where the contribution of 134Cs and 137Cs ingestion to the total RBM dose was more than 70%. The contribution of 90Sr intake to the total RBM dose did not exceed 4% for adults and 10% for newborns in most raion in Gomel and Mogilev Oblasts. The validity of the doses estimated in this study was assessed by comparison with doses obtained from measurements by thermoluminescence dosimeters and whole-body counters done in 1987–2015. The methodology developed in this study can be used to calculate doses to target organs other than RBM such as thyroid and breast doses. The age-dependent and population-weighted doses estimated in this study are useful for ecological epidemiological studies, for projection of radiation risk, and for justification of analytical epidemiological studies in populations exposed to Chernobyl fallout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study established specialized radiation dose models to evaluate the internal radiation doses derived from 137Cs and 134Cs in fishes in the port of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant from 2012 to 2023. By August 2018, the activities of 134Cs and 137Cs in fishes decreased at the T 1/2 of 176 d and 191 d, respectively. The corresponding mass concentrations were far lower than 1 mg/kg and the chemical toxicity can be negligible. Regarding radiotoxicity, 18,000 Bq/kg fresh weight of 134Cs and 137Cs in grouper Sebastes schlegelii produced 276 μGy/h of radiation dose, which was below the no-effect-dose-rate benchmarks (400 μGy/h). 740,000 Bq/kg fresh weight of 134Cs and 137Cs in greenling Hexagrammos otakii produced 12,600 μGy/h of radiation dose, which was much higher than 400 μGy/h, indicating the possibility of radiation effects. If a person eats these two reported fishes, the resulting committed effective doses for humans are 7.7 μSv and 6.31 mSv, respectively. • Radiation doses of fishes in the most polluted area—port of Fukushima were accessed. • Activities of 134Cs and 137Cs in fishes decreased at the half-lives of 176d and 191d. • Radiation effect derived from 740,000 Bq/kg of radiocesiums in greenling might happen. • High committed effective dose produced if highly polluted fishes were eaten by human. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complex decay scheme of 134Cs allows the activity measurement of the nuclide by the 4πβ(LS)-γ coincidence method to be performed at different γ-window settings. This paper describes the activity measurement of 134Cs by 4πβ (LS)-γ coincidence method based on five γ-window settings. The use of different γ-window settings affects the efficiency curve used to determine the activity value. The possible sources that are affecting the efficiency function are discussed. Despite the different efficiency functions obtained from the five γ-windows, a linear extrapolation can be performed by limiting the fitting range within the highest efficiency range. The results show that the specific activity value of each setting is differed by less than 0.3%, with the mean activity value of (1145.6 ± 4.4) kBq/g at the reference time. The quoted uncertainty is evaluated at k = 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper continues the series of publications on evaluation of the consequences of the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant accident and the impact of the emergency radionuclide discharges on the contamination of the sea biota and coastal areas of the Far-East regions. In autumn 2019, the fourth scientific expedition of the Russian geographic society on the monitoring of the radiation situation in Kurily-Kamchatka region was performed on the training vessel «Professor Khlyustin». The expedition included 9 specialists from noncommercial organization «Polar research Fund «Polar Fund», «Russian state hydrometeorological institute», «Radium institute after V.G. Khlopin» of the State Corporation «Rosatom», «Kurchatov institute», «SaintPetersburg research institute of radiation hygiene after prof. P.V. Ramzaev» and «Marine state university after admiral G.I. Nevelsky». The aim of the fourth expedition was to evaluate the radiation situation in the Sea of Japan and Kurily-Kamchatka region after the Fukushima-1 NPP accident as a continuation of the similar marine expeditions in 2011, 2012 and 2014. The survey was performed in the water area of the sea of Japan and Okhotsk sea. The results indicate that the concentration of 137Cs and 90Sr in sea water, hydrobionts, soil, ground and sea vegetation is still on the baseline level due to the global fallouts.

The kinetics of strontium, 85Sr, and cesium, 134Cs, were evaluated in a mouse experimental model to determine the impact of these radionuclides on a living organism concerning total body irradiation. Our study demonstrates that the elimination rate of 134Cs from the skeleton and teeth is influenced by total body irradiation and the presence of 85Sr. Higher accumulation and faster 134Cs elimination rates were observed in the skeleton and teeth of mice administrated with a mixture of 134Cs + 85Sr radionuclides. Regarding 85Sr, only a minimal effect was observed on its accumulation rate in skeleton, teeth, and muscle in total body irradiation mice. The effect of the 85Sr + 134Cs radionuclide mix on the accumulation of 85Sr was more apparent in teeth, showing a higher retention rate after 10-24 days of administration in non-irradiated mice. The evaluation of the kinetics of these radionuclides provided much-needed insight on their effects during the first two months after exposure, demonstrating that the accumulation rate of 85Sr is greater than that of 134Cs. Further, the elimination rate of the former is slower in comparison to the latter. Interestingly, total body irradiation has a greater effect on the hematological parameters of the mice blood than the radionuclides alone.

Insoluble Ferrocyanide composites prepared for studying 134Cs sorption from aqueous solutions. Two different preparation techniques are used; impregnation /precipitation method (iKCoFC/SG) and core–shell method (mKCoFC/SG). Physico-chemical characterization of the prepared samples is studied by FTIR, SEM, XRD and DTA-TGA. The maximum adsorption capacities towards 134Cs are 14.803, 15.627 mg g−1 for mKCoFC/SG and iKCoFC/SG, respectively at pH 5.5 and 25 °C. The kinetic mechanism of the sorption reaction is applicable with a pseudo-second-order model. The sorption process is favourable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The kinetics of strontium, 85Sr, and cesium, 134Cs, were evaluated in a mouse experimental model to determine the impact of these radionuclides on a living organism concerning total body irradiation. Our study demonstrates that the elimination rate of 134Cs from the skeleton and teeth is influenced by total body irradiation and the presence of ssSr. Higher accumulation and faster 134Cs elimination rates were observed in the skeleton and teeth of mice administrated with a mixture of 134Cs + 85Sr radionuclides. Regarding 85Sr, only a minimal effect was observed on its accumulation rate in skeleton, teeth, and muscle in total body irradiation mice. The effect of the 85Sr + 134Cs radionuclide mix on the accumulation of 8SSr was more apparent in teeth, showing a higher retention rate after 10-24 days of administration in non-irradiated mice. The evaluation of the kinetics of these radionuclides provided much- needed insight on their effects during the first two months after exposure, demonstrating that the accumulation rate of 85Sr is greater than that of 134Cs. Further, the elimination rate of the former is slower in comparison to the latter. Interestingly, total body irradiation has a greater effect on the hematological parameters of the mice blood than the radionuclides alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was conducted on Kunashir, Shikotan and Iturup Islands (Sakhalin Region of Russia) in order to evaluate the impact of the Fukushima accident on the “soil–grass–cow’s milk” exposure pathway. A total of 22 samples of cow’s milk were collected in the May 2011 – September 2012 period. Radiocaesium was isolated from thermally treated specimens using the antimony–iodide radiochemical method. The activity concentrations of 134Cs and 137Cs were measured by γ-ray spectrometry using high purity germanium detectors. Caesium-134 was detected in 18 of the total 22 samples of milk. The activity concentration of 134Cs in the samples varied from 0.08 Bq kg–1 to 2.00 Bq kg–1. Caesium-137 was quantified in all 22 samples: range = 0.088–2.43 Bq kg–1. On average, more than a half of the total 137Cs in the milk samples from Sakhalin Region was of Fukushima origin (mean = 60%, median = 57%, range = 13–95%). The highest activity concentrations and values of the soil–to–milk aggregated transfer coefficient, Tag, for 134Cs (and Fukushimaderived 137Cs) were observed in milk samples collected in mid-May 2011. The mean Tag values decreased in the May–October period of 2011 from 12 × 10−3 m2 kg–1 to 2.3 × 10−3 m2 kg–1. In September 2012, the Tag values remained unchanged (mean = 2.8 × 10−3 m2 kg–1) compared to those in September–October 2011. In the autumns of 2011 and 2012, the calculated values of Tag for Fukushima-derived radiocaesium were on average 17 times larger than the ones for pre-Fukushima 137Cs. The higher transfer of Fukushima-derived 137Cs (compared to pre-Fukushima 137Cs) for milk reflected the difference between the “new” and “aged” radiocaesium in the intensity of the radionuclide transfer from soil to grassland plants which were the major component of the cow’s diet in the area of our study. The ratio between the 137Cs activity concentration in the milk (fresh weight) and that in the grassland plants (dry weight) ranged from 0.028 to 0.11. The effective dose from ingestion of Fukushima-derived radiocaesium in locally produced cow’s milk for critical group of adult residents of the southern Kuril in the first year after the accident is conservatively estimated as 0.0027 mSv. The Fukushima accident has had a negligible impact on radiocaesium contamination of cow’s milk and the corresponding human exposure on the southern Kuril Islands: Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup.

Samples of vegetation (vascular plants) were collected at 14 grasslands on Kunashir, Iturup, Urup and Paramushir Islands in August–September 2012. All surveyed grasslands were virgin lands with respect to Fukushima fallout. Four plots were used as pastures for cattle in 2012. About 1 kg of green vegetation (mixed grass-forb crop) was taken from each of 13 plots. Seven samples of wormwood (Artemisia sp.) and three samples of Kuril dwarf bamboo (Sasa sp.) of the same mass were collected for comparison. A density of the above ground biomass was estimated at one of the plots. Activities of 134Cs and 137Cs radionuclides were determined by direct γ-ray spectrometry method using HP-germanium detectors. Inventories of 134Cs and 137Cs in the top 20 cm layer of soil were estimated by the authors earlier for each of these 14 plots based of the soil samples analysis. Caesium-134, a marker of Fukushima fallout, was determined in 18 of 24 vegetation samples. Caesium-137 activity was quantified in all of 24 samples. The activity concentration of the radionuclides in plants (wet weight) ranged from

The caesium-134 and caesium-137 radionuclides released into the atmosphere as a result of the Fukushima accident were dispersed over the entire Northern Hemisphere. To assess the risks associated with the exposure due to Fukushima fallout, a comprehensive radiological survey was performed in the Russian Far East. One of the objectives of the project was to determine the densities of ground contamination by 137Cs and 134Cs on Sakhalin and Kuril Islands that constitute the Sakhalin oblast, an administrative region of Russia. In 2011, soil samples were collected at grasslands on Sakhalin, Kunashir and Shikotan Islands and results of the 2011 survey were published earlier. In the present study, activities of 137Cs and 134Cs were measured in soil samples obtained on Kunashir, Iturup, Urup and Paramushir Islands in 2012. From the studies carried out in 2011–2012, it was estimated that the Fukushima-derived 134Cs inventory at 37 undisturbed grassland sites in the Sakhalin oblast varied from 8 Bq m−2 to 345 Bq m−2 (as of 15 March 2011). For this date, the inventory of the 137Cs radionuclide originated from the Fukushima NPP was assumed to be the same as that of the 134Cs radionuclide. The southern Kuril Islands were the most contaminated due to Fukushima fallout. In 2011 and 2012, Fukushima-derived radiocaesium was detected only in the top 5 cm layer of soil at all sites, excluding one, where ~20% of the 134Cs inventory was found at a depth of 5–10 cm. In the period September 2011– September 2012, the inventory of 134Cs declined by ~26% at four plots selected for long-term observations. The decline in the 134Cs inventory closely corresponded to the reduction (29%) of 134Cs activity due to radioactive decay. Pre-accidental inventory of 137Cs in the top 20 cm layer of soil ranged from 53 Bq m−2 to 3630 Bq m−2. The mean reference inventory of pre-accidental 137Cs for 13 representative sites was amounted as 2600 Bq m−2. Hence, the Fukushima accident added relatively small quantities of radioactivity to the reference preaccidental inventory of 137Cs in grassland soils in the Sakhalin region: about 3% (~80 Bq m−2) on the average and 15% (~350 Bq m−2) at the maximum. Such small additional radioactive contamination is absolutely safe from a radiological point of view.

Radiocontaminated soil in a paddy field in the Iitate village in Fukushima was treated with an industrial paper sludge carbon (PSC) prior to growing rice in May 2011. The results showed that the sum of the activity concentrations of 134Cs and 137Cs in the polished rice harvested in October 2011 was 30 Bq·kg−1, a level much lower than the Japanese governmental safeguard value of 100 Bq·kg−1. Upon contacting with the contaminated soil, the contents of calcium, magnesium, copper, potassium, and barium in the PSC were decreased. Among the PSCs impregnated with various chlorides and sulfates of the previously mentioned minerals, potassium chloride, copper sulfate, magnesium sulfate, and potassium sulfate yielded higher decontamination degrees compared to the original PSC. The results imply that radioactive cesium in the soil exchanges cations with these minerals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common agro-waste, potato peels were used to study the efficacy of adsorption of long-lived radioisotopes, 133Ba (T1/2= 10.54 a) and 134Cs (T1/2 = 2.06 a) as a precursor of fission products 140Ba (T1/2 = 12.75 d) and 137Cs (T1/2 = 30.07 a). At optimized condition of pH = 3, high Kd value > 3 × 104 cm3 g−1 was observed for Ba, when 60 mg dried potato peel was used as sorbent-material for adsorption from a binary aqueous solution containing 133Ba and 134Cs. Cs showed low Kd values across the entire pH range. The bio-sorbent could effectively uptake ~ 99% of 133Ba and ~ 48% of 134Cs at the best condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We assessed the repeatability and reproducibility of methods for determining low dissolved radiocesium concentrations in freshwater in Fukushima. Twenty-one laboratories pre-concentrated three of 10 L samples by five different pre-concentration methods (Prussian-blue-impregnated filter cartridges, coprecipitation with ammonium phosphomolybdate, evaporation, solid-phase extraction disks, and ion-exchange resin columns), and activity of radiocesium was measured. The z-scores for all of the 137Cs results were within ± 2, indicating that the methods were a good degree of precision. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) indicating the reproducibility among different laboratories were larger than the RSDs indicating the repeatability in each separate laboratory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method for caesium concentration from North Sea and Baltic Sea seawater samples was tested and optimised for offshore concentration of radiocaesium and seawater volumes up to 150 L. The composite ion-exchanger Potassium Nickel Hexacyanoferrate in a Polyacrylnitrile binding matrix (KNiFC-PAN) with 80% of powdered KNiFC per gram of dry residue was used for this study. The optimised method achieved recoveries of around 99% with a bed volume (BV) of 50 mL of KNiFC-PAN and average flow rates of seawater of around 182 BV per hour (e.g. 9.1 L per hour). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In 2016, the European Commission's Joint Research Centre organised an interlaboratory comparison exercise on the measurement of 137Cs, 134Cs and 131I in air filters. The exercise was conducted in the frame of the MetroERM EMRP project with code ENV57. This paper describes the context of the interlaboratory measurement comparison, the technical implementation, the air filter measurements performed by the participating laboratories and finally the evaluation of the comparison results. The intercomparison exercise results are such that 56 out of the 67 laboratories (i.e. 84%) reported values within the ±20% range of the reference value for both the 137Cs and 134Cs. The evaluation of the performance of the laboratories on 131I was complicated and the details are explained. Nevertheless, 20 (30%) laboratories reported results for 131I with a percentage difference from the reference value within the ±20% range. Highlights • In 2016, the EC Joint Research Centre organised an interlaboratory comparison. • The exercise was conducted in the frame of MetroERM EMRP project with code ENV57. • 67 laboratories participated by measuring 137Cs, 134Cs and 131I in air filters. • 56 laboratories reported within ±20% from the reference value for 137Cs and 134Cs. • Due to a complication, only 20 laboratories reported results within ±20% for 131I. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study developed liquid reference materials containing various metals, to be used for quality assurance of radiation measurements of the most common metallic wastes generated during the operation or decommissioning of nuclear power plants. The liquid reference materials were prepared by assuming the dissolution of stainless-steel using acid and melting of the major metals present in the stainless steel, namely Fe, Ni, Cr, and Mn, along with the standard sources (134Cs, 137Cs, 60Co, 90Sr). The theoretical massic activity of the standard sources added to the samples and the measured reference values of the gamma and beta emitters in the samples were compared, and they showed good agreement within a one-sigma confidence interval (k = 1). Using the developed reference materials, a proficiency test was conducted on three domestic labs, and the results were evaluated using Z-score. While the evaluation results showed good agreement between the reference values and the reported values for 137Cs and 60Co, all participating labs reported lower values than the reference value for 134Cs. For 90Sr, two out of the three labs reported significantly higher values than the reference value. Based on the results of this study, the developed metal radioactive liquid reference material is expected to be registered as certified reference material (CRM) in the future. They will be used as the CRM for measuring and ensuring the quality of radioactive metal waste. • KRISS developed a new metal radioactive liquid reference material (RM). • The RM included gamma emitting radionuclide (134Cs, 137Cs, 60Co), Beta emitting radionuclide (90Sr), and heavy metals (Fe, Ni, Cr, Mn). • A proficiency test was conducted on three domestic labs using the RM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurrence of the February 6, 2023, earthquake in Turkey was the idea of this research to define a Fukushima-like accident scenario in the Akkuyu nuclear reactor and investigate its radiation effects on the coastal organisms of the Mediterranean Sea. The concentration rate (CR), activity concentration in organisms, internal dose, external dose, and total dose rate were estimated using the ERICA Tool from 137Cs, 134Cs and 131I radionuclides. The minimum and maximum radiocesium CR were calculated at 0.063 Bq kg−1 fresh weight (f.w)/Bq kg−1 soil and 4.042 Bq kg−1 (f.w)/Bq kg−1 soil dry weight (d.w). Where this value for 131I ranged from 0.005 to 0.295 Bq kg−1 (f.w)/Bq kg−1 soil. For mammals-large and arthropods, we calculated the significant internal and external dose rates. All of the estimated dose rates were higher than the ICRP's derived consideration reference levels (10 μGy h−1). • Definition of the Fukushima accident scenario in the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant • 137Cs, 134Cs, and 131I radionuclides released from the accident were investigated. • ERICA Tools model applied for analysis of bioaccumulation and risk assessment • Internal dose, external dose and total dose rates were calculated in coastal species. • The highest contribution to total dose rates was caused by 137Cs radionuclide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiocontaminated soil in a paddy field in the Iitate village in Fukushima was treated with an industrial paper sludge carbon (PSC) prior to growing rice in May 2011. The results showed that the sum of the activity concentrations of 134Cs and 137Cs in the polished rice harvested in October 2011 was 30 Bq·kg−1, a level much lower than the Japanese governmental safeguard value of 100 Bq·kg−1. Upon contacting with the contaminated soil, the contents of calcium, magnesium, copper, potassium, and barium in the PSC were decreased. Among the PSCs impregnated with various chlorides and sulfates of the previously mentioned minerals, potassium chloride, copper sulfate, magnesium sulfate, and potassium sulfate yielded higher decontamination degrees compared to the original PSC. The results imply that radioactive cesium in the soil exchanges cations with these minerals.

134Cs and 137Cs contents have been studied in 44 samples of the marine biota including four species of brown and red algae (11 samples), four species of invertebrates (8 samples) and ten species of fish (25 samples). The samples have been collected in the Northwest Pacific Ocean and in the Seas of Okhotsk and Japan within the framework of the Russian monitoring program that started in 2011 to study environmental consequences of the accident at “Fukushima-1” NPP. In 2011–2012, total activity of both cesium radioisotopes for all the samples analyzed did not exceed 1 Bq kg–1 (wet weight). This value is negligible compared to the safe level of 130 Bq kg–1 (for 137Cs) for the fish consumption in Russia. 134Cs, a marker of the Fukushima-derived contamination, has been determined at a level of 0.2–0.4 Bq kg–1 (wet weight) for three samples of pacific saury (Cololabis saira) collected from areas near Shikotan Island in Sempember 2011 and 2012. The study shows that the Fukushima accident has no considerable impact on radiation conditions in the Kuril-Kamchatka region of the Northwest Pacific Ocean and in the Russian waters of the Sea of Japan.

In the period from April 22 until May 20, 2011, an expedition aboard the research vessel “Pavel Gordienko” (Russian Federation) was carried out to the Sea of Japan and the Kuril-Kamchatka region of the Pacific Ocean. The main aim of the expedition was to study radioactive contamination of the atmospheric air and sea water after the accident at the NPP “Fukushima-1” in Japan. This paper provides preliminary results on the activity concentration of 137Cs and 134Cs in twenty four samples of sea water. The activity concentrations of 131I, 137Cs, 134Cs, and 7Be for twenty nine samples of atmospheric aerosols, which were sampled during the expedition, are also given. Despite the preliminary character of the results of this study, a generic conclusion on a negligible radiological impact of the anthropogenic gamma-ray-emitting radionuclides for the Far-Eastern sea areas of Russia can be reached. The investigations have been supported by a grant from the Russian Geographical Society.

The paper presents analysis of the primary survey data of the radiation situation in the South-Eastern Sakhalin region (Korsakov district and Kunashir and Shikotan islands) and preliminary assessment of the impact of releases from the Fukushima NPP accident in Japan on the radioactive contamination level of the area and the environment. Possible annual internal exposure doses of population of these territories are conservatively assessed on the basiс of the results of radiometric and gamma-spectrometric investigations of local foodstuffs samples.

The Third complex multidisciplinary expedition of the Russian Geographic Society for monitoring of the radiation situation in the Kuril-Kamchatka area of the Pacific Oceantook place in September – October 2014. The purposes of the expedition were monitoring of the radiation situation and assessment of the impact of the accident at the nuclear power plant “Fukushima-1”on radioactive contamination of the marine environment near the Russian coasts. This paper presents results on the activity measurements of the cesium and strontium radionuclides in the hydrobionts collected during the expedition in the Seas of Japan and Okhotsk. Nine samples of the sea hydrobionts including one species of invertebrates and four species of fish have been analysed. Determination of activity concentrations of radionuclides of cesium (separately 134Cs and 137Cs) were carried out by the gammaspectrometry method using a high-resolution semiconductor detector. Activity concentrations of 90Sr were quantified with a radiochemical method. The activity concentrations of 90Sr and the total activity concentrations of both cesium radioisotopes for all the samples analyzed did not exceed 1 Bq kg–1 (wet weight). This value is much lower than the safe levels of 130 Bq kg–1 (radiocesium) and 100 Bq kg–1 (radiostrontium) for the fish consumption inRussia. The study demonstrates that theFukushima accident has no considerable impact on radioactive contamination of the selected species of hydrobiota in Russian waters of theJapanSea andOkhotskSea.

The purpose of this study was to estimate the internal dose of radiation in Japanese macaques (aka Nihonzaru or snow monkey) due to the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident. Images of a male Japanese macaque weighing ~10 kg were acquired using a multi-slice computed tomography (CT) scan with a 64-row segment detector. The CT images were used to create voxel phantoms of the bones, bone marrow, brain, eyes, heart, lungs, stomach, liver, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, intestines, bladder, testes, thyroid and miscellaneous tissue. The Particle and Heavy Ion Transport System (PHITS) Monte Carlo code was used to calculate the internal exposure rate conversion factors for 134Cs, 137Cs and 131I isotopes for the created voxel phantoms with a statistical precision higher than 1%. The PHITS-calculated energy deposits were compared with those for rhesus monkeys. The results showed that the fractions of energy deposits for β-radiation in different organs were almost identical between the two species. For γ-radiation, there was excellent agreement in the self-absorption rate with the approximate curve of the Japanese macaque, with an average deviation of 2%. The maximum deviation of 12% was for the kidney, which has two organs, so the error with the approximate curve is slightly larger due to the energy loss created between organs., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Japanese Radiation Research Society and Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology.)

Certified reference materials (CRMs) of the fish meat powder and the fish bone ash for validation of measurement of anthropogenic nuclides (134Cs, 137Cs and 90Sr) related the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident were developed using an inter-laboratory comparison. This paper discusses the strategy of development including selection of raw material, the preparation and certification procedures applied for CRM production. In particular, some detailed data are presented for the homogeneity study and inter-laboratory experiment for the certification. The results of inter-laboratory comparison not only to certify CRMs but also showed analytical performance of the anthropogenic nuclides in Japanese laboratories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new sum peak method was applied to the samples containing both 137Cs and 134Cs using a well-type HPGe detector. The standard sources containing 137Cs and/or 134Cs were measured via a well-type HPGe detector. The activities estimated by the new sum-peak method agreed with the certified activities of the standard sources. It was proved that the activities of the samples collected around Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant can be estimated by the new sum-peak method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated radiocesium concentrations in the suspended solids (SS) of two large rivers discharging into the Sea of Japan. Higher 134Cs concentrations in SS sampled from upstream area in 2013 (711 Bq/kg-SS) reflected the larger effect of radioactive depositions in western Fukushima Prefecture. However, smaller but less variable concentrations in downstream areas (< 100 Bq/kg-SS) indicated a continual supply of 134Cs-contaminated SS from 2013 to 2017. The particulate 134Cs concentrations in normal flow conditions were at approximately similar levels with those in coastal waters (< ~1 mBq/L), suggesting that the impact of SS on the Sea of Japan was negligible after 2013. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the many studies that have shown minimal health risks to individuals living outside of Japan following the Fukushima Nuclear Accident, there are persisting concerns regarding the consumption of Pacific seafood that may be contaminated with radioactive species from Fukushima. To address these concerns, the activity concentrations of anthropogenic 134Cs and 137Cs, as well as naturally occurring 40K, were measured in Pacific salmon collected from Kilby Provincial Park, British Columbia (BC), in 2013 and from the Quesnel River, BC, in 2014 using low-background gamma-ray spectroscopy. In addition, soil samples and a single roof-debris sample were collected and analysed to provide a record of Fukushima-derived contamination in BC. Cesium-134 was not detected in the salmon samples. Cesium-137 was not detected in any of the sockeye or chum samples, although it was detected in all of the Chinook samples. The weighted average (±1 σ) 137Cs activity concentration in the Chinook salmon collected in 2013 and 2014 was 0.23 (3) and 0.20 (3) Bq/kg fresh weight, respectively. A conservative annual dose estimate for an adult who consumes the average Canadian quantity of seafood per year, contaminated with radiocesium at the maximum concentrations measured in this campaign, was calculated to be 0.054 μSv per year. Cesium-134 was detected in all but two of the soil samples. A weak positive correlation was observed between presence of 134Cs and of 7Be suggesting that the 134Cs arrived via atmospheric deposition. Cesium-137 was present in every soil sample, although the total radiocesium activity concentrations measured were significantly less than action levels set by Health Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand which biota are more exposed to radionuclides, the bioaccumulation and risk assessment of radiocesium (137Cs and 134Cs) release from FDNPP in the Northwest Pacific Ocean were analyzed using ERICA tools. The activity level was determined by the Japanese Nuclear Regulatory Authority (RNA) in 2013. The data were used as input to the ERICA Tool modeling software to evaluate the accumulation and dose of marine organisms. The highest and lowest accumulate concentration rate were observed in birds (4.78E+02 Bq kg−1/Bq L−1) and the Vascular plant (1.04E+01 Bq kg−1/Bq L−1), respectively. The total dose rate range for the 137Cs and 134Cs ranged between 7.39E−04 and 2.65E+00 μGy h−1 and 4.24E−05 and 2.91E−01 μGy h−1, respectively. There is no considerable risk to the marine biota in the research region since the cumulative dose rates of radiocesium to the chosen species were all less than 10 μGy h−1. [Display omitted] • Investigation of 137Cs and 134Cs released from Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant • Application of ERICA model for analysis bioaccumulation and risk assessment • Calculation of internal dose, external dose and total dose rates in marine species • The marine polychaete worms had the greatest overall dose rate. • The highest contribution to total dose rates was caused by 137Cs radionuclide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines assessments of the impact of the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident on exposure of the Russian Federation population related to the seasonal migration of game birds. Intake of artificial radionuclides with meat of migratory game birds is shown to be one of the major pathways for the population exposure in the Far Eastern region of the country.