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Manaka T, Araki MG, Ohashi S, Imamura N, Sakashita W, Ogo S, Komatsu M, Sakata T, Shinomiya Y. Radiocesium mobility in different parts of the two major tree species in Fukushima. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9144. [PMID: 37277410 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35852-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Radiocesium (137Cs) released in the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident is still cycling in the forest ecosystem. We examined the mobility of 137Cs in the external parts-leaves/needles, branches, and bark-of the two major tree species in Fukushima, Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) and konara oak (Quercus serrata). This variable mobility will likely lead to spatial heterogeneity of 137Cs and difficulty in predicting its dynamics for decades. We conducted leaching experiments on these samples by using ultrapure water and ammonium acetate. In Japanese cedar, the 137Cs percentage leached from current-year needles was 26-45% (ultrapure water) and 27-60% (ammonium acetate)-similar to those from old needles and branches. In konara oak, the 137Cs percentage leached from leaves was 47-72% (ultrapure water) and 70-100% (ammonium acetate)-comparable to those from current-year and old branches. Relatively poor 137Cs mobility was observed in the outer bark of Japanese cedar and in organic layer samples from both species. Comparison of the results from corresponding parts revealed greater 137Cs mobility in konara oak than in Japanese cedar. We suggest that more active cycling of 137Cs occurs in konara oak.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takuya Manaka
- Department of Forest Soils, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8687, Japan.
| | - Masatake G Araki
- Extension and Protection Division, Private Forest Department, Forestry Agency, Chiyoda, Tokyo, 100-8952, Japan
| | - Shinta Ohashi
- Department of Wood Properties and Processing, FFPRI, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8687, Japan
- Center for Forest Restoration and Radioecology, FFPRI, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8687, Japan
| | - Naohiro Imamura
- Hokkaido Research Center, FFPRI, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 062-8516, Japan
| | - Wataru Sakashita
- Department of Forest Soils, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8687, Japan
- Center for Forest Restoration and Radioecology, FFPRI, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8687, Japan
| | - Sumika Ogo
- Department of Mushroom Science and Forest Microbiology, FFPRI, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8687, Japan
| | - Masabumi Komatsu
- Center for Forest Restoration and Radioecology, FFPRI, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8687, Japan
- Department of Mushroom Science and Forest Microbiology, FFPRI, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8687, Japan
| | - Tadashi Sakata
- Department of Forest Soils, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8687, Japan
- Center for Forest Restoration and Radioecology, FFPRI, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8687, Japan
| | - Yoshiki Shinomiya
- Center for Forest Restoration and Radioecology, FFPRI, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8687, Japan
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Noda Y, Yoshihara T, Suzui N, Yin YG, Miyoshi Y, Enomoto K, Kawachi N. Visualization of the initial radiocesium dynamics after penetration in living apple trees with bark removal using a positron-emitting 127Cs tracer. Appl Radiat Isot 2023; 198:110859. [PMID: 37267714 DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2023.110859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 05/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Following the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011, radiocesium (rCs) contamination in deciduous trees remains over 10 years later even though the trees were leafless at the time of the accident. This phenomenon is considered to be the result of repeated retranslocation of rCs that initially penetrated the bark into the internal tissues. To implement effective measures after a possible accident in the future, it is necessary to clarify how rCs is translocated in the tree after penetration. In this study, rCs translocation was dynamically visualized using a positron-emitting tracer imaging system (PETIS) and autoradiography after the bark of apple branches was removed. The PETIS results showed the translocation of 127Cs from the branch to young shoots and the main stem in apple trees under controlled spring growing conditions. The transport velocity of rCs in the branch was faster than that in the main stem. The transport of rCs, which was either acropetal or basipetal, in the main stem through the branch junction favored basipetal movement. Autoradiography of transverse sections of the main stem indicated that basipetal translocation was due to transport in the phloem. This study demonstrated the initial translocation responses of rCs similar to previous field research, which indicates that rCs transport to the young shoots tends to be higher under controlled conditions. Our laboratory-based experimental system may be useful to gain an improved understanding of rCs dynamics in deciduous trees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusaku Noda
- Takasaki Institute for Advanced Quantum Science, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), Gunma, 370-1292, Japan
| | - Toshihiro Yoshihara
- Takasaki Institute for Advanced Quantum Science, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), Gunma, 370-1292, Japan; Faculty of Bioscience and Applied Chemistry, Hosei University, Tokyo, 184-8584, Japan
| | - Nobuo Suzui
- Takasaki Institute for Advanced Quantum Science, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), Gunma, 370-1292, Japan.
| | - Yong-Gen Yin
- Takasaki Institute for Advanced Quantum Science, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), Gunma, 370-1292, Japan
| | - Yuta Miyoshi
- Takasaki Institute for Advanced Quantum Science, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), Gunma, 370-1292, Japan
| | - Kazuyuki Enomoto
- Takasaki Institute for Advanced Quantum Science, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), Gunma, 370-1292, Japan
| | - Naoki Kawachi
- Takasaki Institute for Advanced Quantum Science, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), Gunma, 370-1292, Japan
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Cocozza C, Alterio E, Bachmann O, Guillong M, Sitzia T, Cherubini P. Monitoring air pollution close to a cement plant and in a multi-source industrial area through tree-ring analysis. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:54030-54040. [PMID: 34046833 PMCID: PMC8476389 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-14446-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Thirty-two trace elements were examined in the tree rings of downy oak to evaluate the pollution levels close to a cement plant isolated in a rural context and an industrial area where multiple sources of air pollution are or were present. Tree cores were collected from trees growing 1 km from both the cement plant and the industrial area that are located 8 km from each other. The analysis of the trace elements was performed on annual tree rings from 1990 to 2016 using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Trace elements Cs, Mg, Mn, S and Zn reflected the emission history of the cement plant. Their values have increased since early 2000s, when the cement plant started its activity. However, the lack of significant trends of pollutants in the tree rings from the industrial area and the possible effect of translocation and volatility of some elements left open questions. The very weak changes of the other trace elements in the period 1990-2016 suggest those elements do not mark any additional effect of the industrial activity on the background pollution. The results confirm that downy oak trees growing close to isolated industrial plants must be considered a pollution forest archive accessible through dendrochemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Cocozza
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI), Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via San Bonaventura 13, 50145, Florence, Italy
| | - Edoardo Alterio
- Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, Università degli Studi di Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro (PD), Italy.
| | - Olivier Bachmann
- Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology, ETH, Clausiusstrasse 25, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marcel Guillong
- Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology, ETH, Clausiusstrasse 25, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Tommaso Sitzia
- Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, Università degli Studi di Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro (PD), Italy
| | - Paolo Cherubini
- WSL - Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
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Dohi T, Ohmura Y, Yoshimura K, Sasaki T, Fujiwara K, Kanaizuka S, Nakama S, Iijima K. Radiocaesium accumulation capacity of epiphytic lichens and adjacent barks collected at the perimeter boundary site of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0251828. [PMID: 34029330 PMCID: PMC8143426 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated the radiocaesium content of nine epiphytic foliose lichens species and the adjacent barks of Zelkova serrata (Ulmaceae, "Japanese elm") and Cerasus sp. (Rosaceae, "Cherry tree") at the boundary of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station six years after the accident in 2011. Caesium-137 activities per unit area (the 137Cs-inventory) were determined to compare radiocaesium retentions of lichens (65 specimens) and barks (44 specimens) under the same growth conditions. The 137Cs-inventory of lichens collected from Zelkova serrata and Cerasus sp. were respectively 7.9- and 3.8-times greater than the adjacent barks. Furthermore, we examined the radiocaesium distribution within these samples using autoradiography and on the surfaces with an electron probe micro analyzer (EPMA). Autoradiographic results showed strong local spotting and heterogeneous distributions of radioactivity in both the lichen and bark samples, although the intensities were lower in the barks. The electron microscopy analysis demonstrated that particulates with similar sizes and compositions were distributed on the surfaces of the samples. We therefore concluded that the lichens and barks could capture fine particles, including radiocaesium particles. In addition, radioactivity was distributed more towards the inwards of the lichen samples than the peripheries. This suggests that lichen can retain 137Cs that is chemically immobilised in particulates intracellularly, unlike bark.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terumi Dohi
- Sector of Fukushima Research and Development, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, MiharuTown, Tamura-gun, Fukushima, Japan
- * E-mail:
| | - Yoshihito Ohmura
- Department of Botany, National Museum of Nature and Science, Tsukuba-City, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Kazuya Yoshimura
- Sector of Fukushima Research and Development, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Minamisoma-city, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Takayuki Sasaki
- Department of Nuclear Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto-city, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Kenso Fujiwara
- Sector of Fukushima Research and Development, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, MiharuTown, Tamura-gun, Fukushima, Japan
| | | | - Shigeo Nakama
- Sector of Fukushima Research and Development, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Minamisoma-city, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Kazuki Iijima
- Sector of Fukushima Research and Development, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, MiharuTown, Tamura-gun, Fukushima, Japan
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Manaka T, Ohashi S, Ogo S, Otsuka Y, Furusawa H. Sorption and desorption experiments using stable cesium: considerations for radiocesium retention by fresh plant residues in Fukushima forest soils. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-021-07749-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
AbstractWe conducted sorption experiments with stable cesium (133Cs) solution in different organic matter samples, aiming to understand the sorption of radiocesium (134Cs and 137Cs) in the initial throughfall by fresh plant residues (e.g., needles, wood, and bark from Japanese cedar trees) in the Oi horizon in forests in Fukushima. Among the organic matter samples, bark and wattle tannin sorbed relatively large amounts of Cs, whereas wood and cellulose powder sorbed small amounts. In contrast, samples containing clay minerals showed much higher Cs sorption. We also conducted desorption experiments, and suggested that Cs on the organic matter samples were relatively mobile.
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Zheng P, Aoki D, Seki M, Miki T, Tanaka S, Kanayama K, Matsushita Y, Fukushima K. Visualization of solute diffusion into cell walls in solution-impregnated wood under varying relative humidity using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. Sci Rep 2018; 8:9819. [PMID: 29959407 PMCID: PMC6026143 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-28230-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2017] [Accepted: 06/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of the present study is to clarify the diffusion of non-volatile substances into cell walls during the conditioning procedure under varying relative humidities (RH). In this paper, wood blocks were impregnated using an aqueous solution of melamine formaldehyde (MF), and they were subsequently conditioned under RHs of 11, 43, and 75%. The solute that diffused into the cell walls was visualized using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS). The volumetric relative swelling of the samples during the conditioning procedure was calculated. The results showed increased cell wall swelling at higher RH, which may have been caused by higher MF diffusion into the cell walls and/or higher moisture content. Cryo-TOF-SIMS measurements showed that more cell cavities were unfilled with MF at higher RH, indicating that most of the MF diffused from the cell cavities into the cell walls. The relative intensity of MF in the cell walls of the cured samples was evaluated from dry-TOF-SIMS images, which showed a higher relative intensity of MF in the cell walls at higher RH. With the ability to visualize and semi-quantitatively evaluate the solute in cell walls, TOF-SIMS will serve as a powerful tool for future studies of solute diffusion mechanisms in solution-impregnated wood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiming Zheng
- Structural Materials Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Nagoya, 463-8560, Japan.
| | - Dan Aoki
- Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Masako Seki
- Structural Materials Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Nagoya, 463-8560, Japan
| | - Tsunehisa Miki
- Structural Materials Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Nagoya, 463-8560, Japan
| | - Soichi Tanaka
- Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University, Uji, 611-0011, Japan
| | - Kozo Kanayama
- Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University, Uji, 611-0011, Japan
| | - Yasuyuki Matsushita
- Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Fukushima
- Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8601, Japan
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