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Komínková D, Vacula J, Záhorová V, Rulík P, Škrkal J, Pecharová E, Borecký Z, Šestáková K, Stádníková D, Finkous P, Finkous M, Hofmanová Kautská V, Doskočilová V, Pilátová H. Aggregated transfer factors of fresh Cs and Sr pollution to various vegetables from six common European soils - mesocosm experiment. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 345:118900. [PMID: 37696187 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
Aggregated transfer factors (Tag) were identified for three common vegetables grown in six common European soils freshly contaminated by 134Cs and 85Sr. The experiment was carried out as a mesocosm experiment in pots with an average soil weight of 15.8 kg per pot. The vegetables were grown one after the other during one vegetation season, in the order lettuce, onion, and radish (the order usually applied in private gardens and small farms). Despite the fact that lettuce was grown in the most contaminated soil, it had the lowest Tag (in m2/kg) of both radionuclides (3.6E-4 for Cs, 2.0E-2 for Sr), while onion had 6.4E-3 for Cs and 3.2E-2 for Sr and radish had 1.9E-3 for Cs and 8.1E-2 for Sr. Potassium supply did not show any statistically significant effect on Cs Tag; there was a significant impact of K on the decrease in Sr Tag. The experiments indicated that Tag is more affected by plant species than by soil type; therefore, selection of plants with a lower capacity to uptake radionuclides may be an important measure to reduce food contamination and thus minimize the committed effective dose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana Komínková
- Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Prague 6, Czech Republic.
| | - Jaroslav Vacula
- Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Prague 6, Czech Republic.
| | - Věra Záhorová
- National Radiation Protection Institute (SÚRO), Bartoškova 28, 140 00 Prague 4, Czech Republic.
| | - Petr Rulík
- National Radiation Protection Institute (SÚRO), Bartoškova 28, 140 00 Prague 4, Czech Republic.
| | - Jan Škrkal
- National Radiation Protection Institute (SÚRO), Bartoškova 28, 140 00 Prague 4, Czech Republic.
| | - Emilie Pecharová
- Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Prague 6, Czech Republic.
| | - Zdeněk Borecký
- National Radiation Protection Institute (SÚRO), Bartoškova 28, 140 00 Prague 4, Czech Republic.
| | - Klára Šestáková
- Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Prague 6, Czech Republic.
| | - Dita Stádníková
- Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Prague 6, Czech Republic.
| | - Petr Finkous
- Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Prague 6, Czech Republic.
| | - Miroslav Finkous
- Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Prague 6, Czech Republic.
| | - Věra Hofmanová Kautská
- Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Prague 6, Czech Republic.
| | - Věra Doskočilová
- Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Prague 6, Czech Republic.
| | - Helena Pilátová
- National Radiation Protection Institute (SÚRO), Bartoškova 28, 140 00 Prague 4, Czech Republic.
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Kaizer J, Aoyama M, Bujdoš M, Buompane R, Pánik J, Povinec PP, Sýkora I, Tateda Y, Terrasi F. Sequential scavenging and measurement of seawater radiocesium concentrations and plutonium isotopic ratios offshore Fukushima. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2022; 251-252:106983. [PMID: 35964527 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2022.106983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The scientific interest in radiocesium and plutonium found in the oceans and seas has increased enormously in the past years as a consequence of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident and is expected to be ongoing due to many unresolved questions. Hence, continuous development of new and verification of old analytical methods should be at the top of the list of the community, working on the topic. In this study, we processed and analyzed several seawater samples, collected in different time frames (2011-2015) from the North Pacific Ocean offshore Fukushima, to determine their radiocesium activities, 134Cs/137Cs activity ratios and 240Pu/239Pu isotopic ratios using the sequential scavenging method, gamma spectrometry and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). The observed radiocesium levels in seawater (0.07-0.042 Bq L-1) clearly indicated that the investigated region remained impacted by releases from the damaged power plant even after four years after the accident. Regarding plutonium, its successful separation from large volume seawater samples was confirmed by detection of 240Pu by AMS. However, several problems emerged during the analyzes, which we tried to address with the use of additional methods (e.g., measurements of uranium by ICPMS). The efficiencies of the applied methods and other issues are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Kaizer
- Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University, 84248, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Michio Aoyama
- Center for Research in Isotopes and Environmental Dynamics, University of Tsukuba, 305-8577, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Marek Bujdoš
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, 84215, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Raffaele Buompane
- Department of Mathematics and Physics, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 81100, Caserta, Italy
| | - Ján Pánik
- Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, 81372, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Pavel P Povinec
- Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University, 84248, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Ivan Sýkora
- Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University, 84248, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Yutaka Tateda
- Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, 270-1194, Chiba, Japan
| | - Filippo Terrasi
- Department of Mathematics and Physics, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 81100, Caserta, Italy
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Li P, Gong Y, Lu W, Sakagami N, Mo Z, Komatsuzaki M. Radiocesium distribution caused by tillage inversion affects the soil-to-crop transfer factor and translocation in agroecosystems. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 831:154897. [PMID: 35367255 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
This study reports the translocation of cesium-137 (137Cs) into deep soil layers, and the 137Cs transfer from soil to soybean in farmland under three tillage (no tillage, NT; rotary cultivation, RC; moldboard plow; MP) treatments and an undisturbed grassland (GL) at eight years after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident on 11 March 2011 in Japan. Tillage influences the 137Cs distribution in the 0-30 cm of soil; the distribution of 137Cs in the soil was uniform under RC and MP treatments, while in the grassland, most 137Cs was concentrated on the soil surface (0-2.5 cm). The center of vertical 137Cs radioactivity concentration (the thickness of the soil from surface which containing half of the 137Cs inventory) in GL was 5.5 cm, which was shallower than that in farmland (9.5 cm in NT, 13.6 cm in RC and 15.2 cm in MP). Hence, the total translocation distance of 137Cs 8 years after FDNPP accident showed the following trend: GL (2.4 cm) < NT (7.0 cm) < RC (10.0 cm) < MP (12.3 cm). Meanwhile, a significant positive correlation was observed between 137Cs radioactivity concentration and organic carbon and nitrogen content in the soil. However, the 137Cs radioactivity concentration in soybean grains was negatively correlated with the center of vertical 137Cs radioactivity concentration but positively correlated with the ratio of exchangeable 137Cs (ExCs) and K content in the soil. The ExCs/K and 137Cs distributions in the soil were combined into a statistical model to predict the 137Cs radioactivity concentration in soybean grain. The results revealed the magnitude of the impact of 137Cs distribution on the 137Cs transfer from soil to crop. The addition of the 137Cs distribution dramatically improved the accuracy of the prediction model of 137Cs radioactivity concentration in soybean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiran Li
- United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Saiwaicho 3-5-8, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan
| | - Yingting Gong
- Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Wenyi Lu
- College of Agriculture, Ibaraki University, 3-21-1, Chuuo, Ami, Inashiki, Ibaraki 300-0393, Japan
| | - Nobuo Sakagami
- College of Agriculture, Ibaraki University, 3-21-1, Chuuo, Ami, Inashiki, Ibaraki 300-0393, Japan
| | - Zhaowen Mo
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Masakazu Komatsuzaki
- United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Saiwaicho 3-5-8, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan; Center for International Field Agriculture Research & Education, Ibaraki University, 3-21-1, Ami, Inashiki, Ibaraki 300-0393, Japan.
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Nutrient Imbalance of the Host Plant for Larvae of the Pale Grass Blue Butterfly May Mediate the Field Effect of Low-Dose Radiation Exposure in Fukushima: Dose-Dependent Changes in the Sodium Content. INSECTS 2021; 12:insects12020149. [PMID: 33572324 PMCID: PMC7916146 DOI: 10.3390/insects12020149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The pale grass blue butterfly Zizeeria maha is sensitive to low-dose radioactive pollution from the Fukushima nuclear accident in the field but is also highly tolerant to radioactive cesium (137Cs) in an artificial diet in laboratory experiments. To resolve this field-laboratory paradox, we hypothesize that the butterfly shows vulnerability in the field through biochemical changes in the larval host plant, the creeping wood sorrel Oxalis corniculata, in response to radiation stress. To test this field-effect hypothesis, we examined nutrient contents in the host plant leaves from Tohoku (mostly polluted areas including Fukushima), Niigata, and Kyushu, Japan. Leaves from Tohoku showed significantly lower sodium and lipid contents than those from Niigata. In the Tohoku samples, the sodium content (but not the lipid content) was significantly negatively correlated with the radioactivity concentration of cesium (137Cs) in leaves and with the ground radiation dose. The sodium content was also correlated with other nutrient factors. These results suggest that the sodium imbalance of the plant may be caused by radiation stress and that this nutrient imbalance may be one of the reasons that this monophagous butterfly showed high mortality and morphological abnormalities in the field shortly after the accident in Fukushima.
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Tagami K, Uchida S, Shinano T, Pröhl G. Comparisons of effective half-lives of radiocesium in Japanese tea plants after two nuclear accidents, Chernobyl and Fukushima. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2020; 213:106109. [PMID: 31756642 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2019.106109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2019] [Revised: 11/12/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The time-dependence of 137Cs in new shoots of tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze) following a137Cs-deposition was analyzed and quantified in terms of effective half-lives. The underlying monitoring studies were performed after the accidents in the Chernobyl and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants for tea plants growing in Japan. The major transfer route for atmospherically deposited radiocaesium to the first new shoots sampled after the accidents were different: for the Fukushima accident, it was mainly translocation of radiocaesium deposited onto old leaves and twigs to the new growth, while direct deposition on the new leaves was the major source after the Chernobyl accident. The effective half-lives in new tea leaves representing the fast and slow components of the decline did not significantly differ between these accidents. Geometric means (ranges) of fast and slow effective half-lives of 137Cs after the Chernobyl accident were 66 d (25-125 d) and 902 d (342-15900 d), respectively, and those after the Fukushima accident were 50 d (26-105 d) and 416 d (222-1540 d), respectively. From these results, 137Cs declines in new tea leaves were similar although contamination conditions were different for these two accidents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keiko Tagami
- National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan.
| | - Shigeo Uchida
- National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
| | - Takuro Shinano
- Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Kita 9, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo-shi, Hokkaido, 060-8589, Japan
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Li P, Gong Y, Komatsuzaki M. Temporal dynamics of 137Cs distribution in soil and soil-to-crop transfer factor under different tillage systems after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in Japan. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 697:134060. [PMID: 31487588 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2019] [Revised: 08/18/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) in Japan in 2011 released a large amount of radionuclides, primarily radiocesium-137 (137Cs; half-life: 30 years), resulting in long-term contamination of soil and consequently crops. Tillage is a common agricultural management practice that alters the vertical distribution of nutrients in the soil. However, the effect of tillage on 137Cs contamination in soil and crops over time remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the temporal changes in the vertical distribution of 137Cs in the soil, concentration of 137Cs in soybean and cover crops, and the transfer factor (TF) of 137Cs from the soil to crops under three tillage systems (rotary cultivation [RC], moldboard plow [MP], and no tillage [NT]; main factors) using three cover crops (hairy vetch, winter rye, and fallow weeds; side factors). The amount of 137Cs in the soil decreased exponentially with soil depth under the NT and RC treatments. By contrast, 137Cs showed uniform distribution at each soil depth tested under the MP treatment since 2012. The exchangeable 137Cs demonstrated a similar tendency as 137Cs. The 137Cs concentration in soybean (including grain and residue) and cover crops decreased exponentially with time. Consistently higher 137Cs concentration was observed in soybean grains under the NT treatment, suggesting that tillage continuously reduced the concentration of 137Cs in soybean over 7 years since the FDNPP accident. The TF of 137Cs from soil to soybean and cover crops decreased continuously over time; however, 137Cs concentration of soybean grain showed a positive linear correlation with its annual variation rate. Additionally, TF showed a positive logarithmic correlation with 137Cs relaxation depth in the soil. These results enhance our understanding of the long-term behavior and radioecology of 137Cs in agroecosystems in Japan since the radionuclide accident.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiran Li
- United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Saiwaicho 3-5-8, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan
| | - Yingting Gong
- United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Saiwaicho 3-5-8, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan
| | - Masakazu Komatsuzaki
- Center for International Field Agriculture Research & Education, Ibaraki University, 3-21-1, Ami, Inashiki, Ibaraki 300-0393, Japan.
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Tagami K, Tsukada H, Uchida S, Howard BJ. Changes in the Soil to Brown Rice Concentration Ratio of Radiocaesium before and after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident in 2011. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2018; 52:8339-8345. [PMID: 29995393 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b01745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Radiocaesium (RCs) mobility in soil is initially relatively high when the nuclide first comes into contact with soil, after which the mobile fraction decreases with time due to RCs fixation to soil particles (aging effect). Consequently, the RCs activity concentration in plants grown in soil was expected to decrease with time after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident in 2011. In this study, we collated data on concentration ratios (CR) of RCs between brown rice grain and paddy soil and compared CR values reported for periods before and after the accident. For this purpose, soil and rice data were collected after the accident specifically from paddy fields that did not have additional potassium fertilizer added (for remediation purposes). The geometric mean rice/soil CR of RCs for all types of soil was 1.2 × 10-2 in 2011 ( n = 62) and by 2013 the value had declined to 3.5 × 10-3 ( n = 32), which was similar to that for 1995-2007 of 3.4 × 10-3 ( n = 120). The comparison suggests that the mean soil-to-rice grain concentration ratio had returned to that prevailing before the accident after less than three years. It was also confirmed that CR values for rice sampled from paddy fields were lower than those obtained from pot experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keiko Tagami
- National Institute of Radiological Sciences , National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology , 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku , Chiba-shi , Chiba 263-8555 , Japan
| | - Hirofumi Tsukada
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity , Fukushima University , 1 Kanayagawa , Fukushima-shi , Fukushima 960-1296 , Japan
| | - Shigeo Uchida
- National Institute of Radiological Sciences , National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology , 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku , Chiba-shi , Chiba 263-8555 , Japan
| | - Brenda J Howard
- University of Nottingham and Centre for Ecology and Hydrology , Library Avenue , Lancaster LA1 4AP , United Kingdom
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