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Zhou W, Wang H, Zhong Q, Shao Y, Zhou D, Yu X. Characterizing 226Ra and its daughters in coastal zone groundwater of a typical human-activity affected bay: occurrence, safety, and source evaluation. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024; 31:8703-8718. [PMID: 38180669 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-31784-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Due to their extremely toxic properties, 226Ra and it daughters (222Rn, 210Pb, and 210Po) in drinking groundwater require monitoring. Recent studies have reported exceptionally high levels of natural 210Po (up to 10,000 Bq/m3), 226Ra, and 222Rn isotopes in groundwater. This study aims to provide background data on 226Ra and its daughter radionuclides in the typical agricultural-industrial Dongshan Bay (DSB) before the construction of Zhangzhou Nuclear Power Plant (Zhangzhou NPP). The measurement results indicate that no abnormally high activities of 210Po and 210Pb were detected in the investigated wells. Strong positive correlations between 210Pb and 210Po, as well as between 222Rn and 210Pb activities, suggest that the origins of 210Pb and 210Po in groundwater are strongly influenced by the decay of the parent radionuclides 222Rn and 210Pb, respectively. In the DSB coastal zone groundwater, significant deficiencies of 210Po relative to 210Pb and 210Pb relative to 222Rn were observed, providing further evidence that 210Po and 210Pb are also effectively scavenged due to their geochemical properties (specifically particle affinity) within the groundwater-aquifer system. A systematic comparison among all relevant water bodies in the DSB revealed that the activity concentrations of 210Pb and 210Po in groundwater were the highest, except for rainwater. Based on the evaluation of 210Pb sources, the results imply that submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is an important pathway for transferring radionuclides (such as 210Pb) from land to the nearshore marine environment, even though the study area has a lower 210Pb background groundwater. By considering all the 210Pb's sources in the DSB, we found low 210Pb background groundwater discharge still needs to be taken into account for small-scale bays. This is because SGD was calculated to be one of the most important 210Pb sources in the bay during observation season. Regardless of whether the system is in a normal state or a nuclear accident emergency state, greater attention should be paid to the groundwater discharge of radionuclides into the ocean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenqing Zhou
- Ministry of Natural Resources, National Ocean Technology Center, Tianjin, 300112, China
- Ministry of Natural Resources, Key Laboratory of Ocean Observation Technology, Tianjin, 300112, China
| | - Hao Wang
- Ministry of Natural Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, 184 # DaXue Road, Siming District, Xiamen, 361005, Fujian Province, China
| | - Qiangqiang Zhong
- Ministry of Natural Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, 184 # DaXue Road, Siming District, Xiamen, 361005, Fujian Province, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China.
| | - Yi Shao
- Ministry of Natural Resources, National Ocean Technology Center, Tianjin, 300112, China
- Ministry of Natural Resources, Key Laboratory of Ocean Observation Technology, Tianjin, 300112, China
| | - Da Zhou
- Ministry of Natural Resources, National Ocean Technology Center, Tianjin, 300112, China
- Ministry of Natural Resources, Key Laboratory of Ocean Observation Technology, Tianjin, 300112, China
| | - Xueqing Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
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Zhang F, Wang J, Huang D, Zhong Q, Yu T, Du J. Fresh Groundwater Discharge as a Major Source of 90Sr into the Coastal Ocean. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:12033-12041. [PMID: 37530516 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c03597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/03/2023]
Abstract
The behavior and source of 90Sr in the coastal ocean remain uncertain. Here, we investigated the distributions of 90Sr in coastal fresh groundwater, river water, pore water, and seawater in three bays along the southeastern coast of China between 2019 and 2021 and evaluated the potential of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) as a source of coastal 90Sr. The 90Sr activity in coastal fresh groundwater was higher than that in river water and seawater, while the 90Sr activity in pore water was comparable to that in adjacent seawater. In addition, nonconservative mixing behavior of 90Sr along the salinity gradient between river water and seawater was observed. These observations indicated that fresh SGD may serve as an additional source of 90Sr in coastal seawater. Combining our groundwater 90Sr data with the reported fresh SGD flux data, the estimated fresh SGD-derived 90Sr fluxes into the three bays were comparable to or even higher than those supplied by riverine sources. These results revealed that fresh SGD is a major but overlooked source of 90Sr in the coastal ocean. This subterranean pathway for transport of 90Sr to the coastal ocean should be considered in the monitoring and risk assessment of coastal areas, especially those near nuclear facilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fule Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
- Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Jinlong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Dekun Huang
- Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Qiangqiang Zhong
- Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Tao Yu
- Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Jinzhou Du
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
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Abril-Hernández JM. Kinetic reactive transport explains distinct subsurface deposition patterns of pollutants in sediments. The case of the Sellafield-derived 236U, 137Cs and 239,240Pu in the Esk Estuary, UK. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 323:121244. [PMID: 36775133 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121244] [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: 11/27/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The kinetics of the uptake of pollutants by solids in sediments interacts with transitional eddy diffusivity in the pore fluid, leading to different depth-distribution patterns. This work aims to gain insights into the still poorly understood behaviour in the marine environment of the anthropogenic 236U, a recently postulated tracer of water masses. It is hypothesized that the transition from mobile U(VI) to highly particle-reactive U(IV) in the anoxic zone of the sediment produces a subsurface deposition pattern. A novel numerical model for kinetic reactive transport in sediments, which merges diagenetic processes for transport and box models for the uptake, is used for concept demonstration. It is applied to synthetic environments with high eddy diffusivity to obtain the singular depth-distribution patterns of pulsed inputs of tracers that mimic the anthropogenic 239,240Pu, 137Cs, and 236U. While the first is retained in the upper cm, the second shows an exponential penetration pattern over few cm, and 236U is deposited with a Gaussian-like pattern centred below the transition to the anoxic zone. These patterns are then merged into a diagenetic model to compute the depth distribution at decadal or centennial scales of dissolved and particle-bound inputs of these radiotracers. It is successfully applied to a real case using literature data for a sediment core from the Esk Estuary, UK, affected by radioactive releases from the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant. This work provides insight into until now poorly understood field data and provides a novel view of broad implications in the study of the behaviour of pollutants in surficial aquatic sediments.
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Hirose K, Povinec PP. Ten years of investigations of Fukushima radionuclides in the environment: A review on process studies in environmental compartments. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2022; 251-252:106929. [PMID: 35717792 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2022.106929] [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: 03/16/2022] [Revised: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In March 2011, severe nuclear accident happened at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) after the gigantic earthquake and following huge tsunami wave. A lot of investigations to assess environmental and radiological impacts of released radionuclides have been conducted by domestic and international organizations. Environmental radioactivity research related to the FDNPP accident has spread widely over different scientific fields due to specific features of the accident, and specifically its impact on the marine environment. The present paper summarizes major lessons learned from the environmental investigations of the FDNPP accident. Environmental radioactivity studies have typical interdisciplinary character; especially physics and chemistry are fundamental as a base of process studies in the environment. In this sight, we review chemical aspects regarding FDNPP-derived radiocesium transfer within and between compartments (atmosphere, ocean and land). We also discuss future trends in investigations of behavior of anthropogenic radionuclides in the environment, important not only for a better understanding of impacts of the FDNPP accident on the environment, but also for improving our general knowledge of the total environment in the Anthropocene era and its protection for the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katsumi Hirose
- Laboratory for Environmental Research at Mount Fuji, Okubo, Shinjyuku, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Pavel P Povinec
- Comenius University, Department of Nuclear Physics and Biophysics, Bratislava, Slovakia.
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Misonou T, Nakanishi T, Tsuruta T, Shiribiki T, Sanada Y. Migration processes of radioactive cesium in the Fukushima nearshore area: Impacts of riverine input and resuspension. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2022; 178:113597. [PMID: 35366555 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
It is essential to evaluate secondary migration caused by riverine input and resuspension from seabed sediments to estimate the future distribution of radioactive cesium (137Cs) in the coastal area off Fukushima Prefecture. In particular, the inflow from rivers cannot be ignored because most of the 137Cs inflow from rivers is deposited on the coast without elute into seawater. Two mooring systems were installed near the Ukedo River's mouth (Fukushima Prefecture) from February 2017 to February 2018. The first contained a sediment trap system, collecting sinking particles during the period. The second comprised a turbidity sensor and a current sensor. The contribution of resuspension and inflow from the river to the mass flux was quantitatively evaluated using multiple regression equations. The results showed that resuspension caused 79%-83% of secondary 137Cs migration in nearshore areas, whereas the influence of riverine 137Cs input on the sediment was only 7% per year.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshiharu Misonou
- Sector of Fukushima Research and Development, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 45-169, Kaihama-sukakeba, Minamisoma, Fukushima 975-0036, Japan.
| | - Takahiro Nakanishi
- Sector of Fukushima Research and Development, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 45-169, Kaihama-sukakeba, Minamisoma, Fukushima 975-0036, Japan
| | - Tadahiko Tsuruta
- Sector of Fukushima Research and Development, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 45-169, Kaihama-sukakeba, Minamisoma, Fukushima 975-0036, Japan
| | - Takehiko Shiribiki
- Sanyo Techno Marine, 1-3-17, Horidomecho, Nihonbashi, Chuouku, Tokyo 103-0012, Japan
| | - Yukihisa Sanada
- Sector of Fukushima Research and Development, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 45-169, Kaihama-sukakeba, Minamisoma, Fukushima 975-0036, Japan
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Recent Advances in Sampling and Sample Preparation for Effect-Directed Environmental Analysis. Trends Analyt Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2022.116654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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Viewpoint on the Integration of Geochemical Processes into Tracer Transport Models for the Marine Environment. GEOSCIENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/geosciences12040152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Two types of models are used to describe the interactions of tracers dissolved in the ocean with marine sediments: equilibrium and dynamic models. A brief description of these models is given in this opinion paper, and some examples are presented to show that preference should be given to the dynamic descriptions in modern pollutant transport models to be used in emergencies as well as in the case of chronic tracer releases to the sea.
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Takata H, Wada T, Aono T, Inoue M, Kanasashi T, Suzuki S, Amano Y. Factors controlling dissolved 137Cs activities in coastal waters on the eastern and western sides of Honshu, Japan. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 806:151216. [PMID: 34717992 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151216] [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: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The distributions of dissolved 137Cs in river, nearshore, and offshore waters on the east and west coasts of the Japanese island of Honshu were studied in 2018-2021, 7-10 years after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident. On the east side along the north western North Pacific (Fukushima Prefecture), estuarine processes, including desorption from riverine particles and dissolution into pore water from riverine particles that had settled to the seafloor, contributed to the maintenance of high dissolved 137Cs activities in nearshore and offshore waters. A survey and mass-balance calculation in a semi-enclosed estuarine area, the Matsukawa-ura, in the northern part of Fukushima, provided convincing evidence that rivers contributed to the influx of 137Cs to coastal waters. In contrast, the extremely low activities of dissolved and particulate 137Cs in the Tedori River of Ishikawa Prefecture on the western side of Japan along the Japan Sea suggested that inputs of riverine 137Cs made a negligible contribution to the increase of dissolved 137Cs activities in the nearshore and offshore waters. The relatively high dissolved 137Cs activities observed in the offshore waters of the Japan Sea were due to movement of FDNPP-derived 137Cs into the Japan Sea via the Tsushima Warm Current. Mechanisms controlling the distributions of 137Cs activities in coastal waters of the eastern and western sides of Japan therefore differ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyoe Takata
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Fukushima 960-1296, Japan.
| | - Toshihiro Wada
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Fukushima 960-1296, Japan
| | - Tatsuo Aono
- National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Fukushima, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
| | - Mutsuo Inoue
- Low Level Radioactivity Laboratory, Kanazawa University, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1224, Japan
| | - Tsutomu Kanasashi
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Fukushima 960-1296, Japan
| | - Shotaro Suzuki
- Fukushima Prefectural Fisheries and Marine Science Research Center, Iwaki, Fukushima 970-0316, Japan
| | - Yosuke Amano
- Fukushima Prefectural Fisheries and Marine Science Research Center, Iwaki, Fukushima 970-0316, Japan
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Abril JM, Barros H. Modelling the kinetic reactive transport of pollutants at the sediment-water interface. Applications with atmospheric fallout radionuclides. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2022; 242:106790. [PMID: 34890932 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2021.106790] [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: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the behaviour of particulate matter and chemicals at the sediment-water interface (SWI) is of interest in environmental studies and risk assessments. These processes are still poorly understood, and this work aims to gain relevant insights by using a kinetic reactive transport model. It merges early diagenetic processes and box models for the uptake kinetics. Numerical solutions have been found for synthetic scenarios and for studying real cases from the literature (210Pb and Chernobyl fallout radionuclides in Lake Sniardwy, Poland, and 7Be in sediments from Tema Harbour, Ghana). The study identifies a series of factors that dynamically interact to govern the final fate of tracers in the SWI region, leading to a wide diversity of behaviours. When a term of eddy diffusivity is included in the upper regions of the pore fluid, which seems feasible for some energetic scenarios, it is possible to explain the observed large penetration depths for Cs and Be, while high particle-reactive elements are retained in thinner sediment layers. Desorption from the sediment occurs through the pore fluid as diffusive fluxes. Transient depth profiles of tracer concentrations can last from months up to a year, and they can show subsurface maxima at positions unrelated with the accretion rate. In the application cases, the model explained a wide set of observational data that was beyond the capabilities of other approaches involving physical mixing of solids and equilibrium kd. This modelling study could provide useful guidance for future research works.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Abril
- Departamento de Física Aplicada I, ETSIA, Universidad de Sevilla, Carretera de Utrera Km 1, 41013, Sevilla, Spain.
| | - H Barros
- Universidad Simón Bolívar, Departamento de Física, Apartado, Postal 89000, Caracas, 1080, Venezuela
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Kambayashi S, Zhang J, Narita H. Significance of Fukushima-derived radiocaesium flux via river-estuary-ocean system. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 793:148456. [PMID: 34328972 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The environmental dynamics of Fukushima-derived radiocaesium from land to ocean and the impact of its flux on the marine environment are matters of concern because radiocaesium will be continually transported to the open ocean for the next several decades, or possibly more than one hundred years. In order to assess the distribution and flux of radiocaesium in a river-estuary-ocean system, we investigated the activity concentration of radiocaesium in Matsukawa-ura Lagoon, the largest lagoon in Fukushima, where it is very easy to carry out observations with a wide salinity gradient. Activity concentrations of dissolved 137Cs are elevated in seawater of low to intermediate salinity. It can thus be inferred that radiocaesium desorbs from suspended particles in an estuarine area. The porewater activity concentration of 137Cs in lagoon sediment was about 10 times higher than that in the overlying lagoon water. This direct measurement indicates that a significant amount of radiocaesium in sediment desorbs into porewater. From the results of a mass balance model, dissolved 137Cs flux from the lagoon's bottom is 15.3 ± 3.7 times greater than the riverine input, including desorption from particles. In the case of the whole Pacific coast of northeastern Japan (Miyagi, Fukushima, and Ibaraki Prefectures), dissolved 137Cs flux into the open ocean, including diffusion of porewater, is estimated to be up to 1.5 times greater than the sum of riverine input and the ongoing release from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station's harbor. Consequently, our results suggest that radiocaesium is transported to the open ocean under the control of various processes, not only by desorption from particles but also, for example, by the diffusion of porewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shota Kambayashi
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, University of Toyama, 3190 Gofuku, Toyama 930-8555, Japan
| | - Jing Zhang
- Faculty of Science, Academic Assembly, University of Toyama, 3190 Gofuku, Toyama 930-8555, Japan.
| | - Hisashi Narita
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Tokai University, 3-20-1 Orido, Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka 424-8610, Japan
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Otosaka S, Kamidaira Y, Ikenoue T, Kawamura H. Distribution, dynamics, and fate of radiocesium derived from FDNPP accident in the ocean. J NUCL SCI TECHNOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/00223131.2021.1994480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shigeyoshi Otosaka
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
| | - Yuki Kamidaira
- Research Group for Environmental Science, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Tsubasa Ikenoue
- Research Group for Environmental Science, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hideyuki Kawamura
- Research Group for Environmental Science, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki, Japan
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Takata H, Wakiyama Y, Niida T, Igarashi Y, Konoplev A, Inatomi N. Importance of desorption process from Abukuma River's suspended particles in increasing dissolved 137Cs in coastal water during river-flood caused by typhoons. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 281:130751. [PMID: 34023762 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Revised: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Desorption of radiocesium (137Cs) from riverine particles into seawater strongly influences 137Cs concentrations in coastal seawater. This process is important for quantifying the input of radionuclides to marine environments. Here we quantify the particulate 137Cs flux from the Abukuma River, Japan, during typhoon Hagibis and following typhoons in 2019 and estimate the resulting increased dissolved 137Cs levels in coastal seawater. Particulate 137Cs export flux, 1.1 × 1012 Bq, from the Abukuma River during the 4-day period of typhoon Hagibis (12-15 October 2019) equaled two-thirds of the annual flux during 2012-2015, the period of high 137Cs levels following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. The flux of the desorbed fraction from the Abukuma River during typhoon Hagibis was 0.061-0.12 × 1012Bq, and its daily flux to the surrounding coastal seawater (1.5-3.0 × 1010 Bq/d) was one to two orders of magnitude greater than the estimated input to the coastal seawater during the pre-typhoon period (1.3× 108-1.0 × 109 Bq/d). Simulated results suggest that the massive influx of riverine particles and subsequent desorption of 137Cs increased dissolved 137Cs levels in the coastal seawater by an order of magnitude, from 3.3 mBq/L (pre-typhoon level) to 45-126 mBq/L. This found pathway opens up new scenarios involving radionuclide dynamics in the boundary area of river-sea system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyoe Takata
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Fukushima, 960-1296, Japan.
| | - Yoshifumi Wakiyama
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Fukushima, 960-1296, Japan
| | - Takuya Niida
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Fukushima, 960-1296, Japan
| | - Yasunori Igarashi
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Fukushima, 960-1296, Japan
| | - Alexei Konoplev
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Fukushima, 960-1296, Japan
| | - Naohiko Inatomi
- Central Laboratory, Marine Ecology Research Institute, Onjuku-machi, Isumi-gun, Chiba, 299-5105, Japan
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Radioactivity and radionuclides in deciduous teeth formed before the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. Sci Rep 2021; 11:10335. [PMID: 33990650 PMCID: PMC8121844 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-89910-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP) accident in March of 2011 released substantial amounts of radionuclides into the environment. We collected 4,957 deciduous teeth formed in children before the Fukushima accident to obtain precise control data for teeth formed after the accident. Radioactivity was measured using imaging plates (IP) and epidemiologically assessed using multivariate regression analysis. Additionally, we measured 90Sr, 137Cs, and natural radionuclides which might be present in teeth. Epidemiological studies of IP showed that the amount of radioactivity in teeth from Fukushima prefecture was similar to that from reference prefectures. We found that artificial radionuclides of 90Sr and 137Cs, which were believed to have originated from past nuclear disasters, and natural radionuclides including 40 K and daughter nuclides in the 238U and 232Th series contributed to the generation of radioactivity in teeth. We also found no evidence to suggest that radionuclides originating from the FNPP accident significantly contaminated pre-existing teeth. This is the first large-scale investigation of radioactivity and radionuclides in teeth. The present findings will be indispensable for future studies of teeth formed after the FNPP accident, which will fall out over the next several years and might be more contaminated with radionuclides.
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