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Chen J, Wang C, Wu J, Tao S. Plutonium in sediments of the Eastern Guangdong coast-its sources and their contribution. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023; 193:115222. [PMID: 37406399 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
The 239+240Pu activities and 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios of surface sediments from the Eastern Guangdong coast (EGDC) were determined by sector field ICP-MS in order to examine the sources of plutonium (Pu) and quantify their contributions. The 239+240Pu activities in the EGDC ranged from 0.113 to 0.451 Bq kg-1, with an average of 0.225 ± 0.090 Bq kg-1 (n = 17). Consistently high 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios, ranging from 0.218 to 0.274 (average = 0.254 ± 0.014, n = 17), indicate a non-global fallout Pu source in the EGDC. The horizontal distribution of the 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios in the EGDC sediment suggests the non-global fallout Pu is sourced from close-in fallout from the Pacific Proving Grounds (PPG). Using a simple two end-member mixing model, we calculated the relative proportions of Pu from the PPG and global fallout in the EGDC to be 57 ± 9 % and 43 ± 9 %, respectively. Moreover, from the well-defined relationship between 239+240Pu activity and total organic carbon content in sediments and a two end-member mixing model using δ13C, we further calculated the Terr-global fallout (riverine input) and Mar-global fallout (direct atmospheric deposition) to be 11 ± 2 % and 32 ± 6 %, respectively. Finally, from the activity levels and atom ratios of Pu isotopes in the EGDC, we established a baseline for future use in environmental risk assessment related to nuclear power plant operations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jisheng Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Disaster Prediction and Prevention & Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China
| | - Cui Wang
- Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resource, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Junwen Wu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Disaster Prediction and Prevention & Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China.
| | - Shuqin Tao
- Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resource, Xiamen 361005, China
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Wu J, Sun J, Xiao X. An overview of current knowledge concerning the inventory and sources of plutonium in the China Seas. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2020; 150:110599. [PMID: 31733905 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Revised: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 09/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
This study reviews the current understanding of the inventory and sources of plutonium (Pu) in the marine environment adjacent to China. The 239+240Pu inventory in the China Seas was found to have large spatial variations. The quantity in sediments decreases away from the shore, generally tracing the sedimentation rate distribution. High 239+240Pu inventories indicated that Pu in the water column was easily scavenged since Pu has a high particle affinity. Indeed, substantially higher 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios were observed in the sediment and seawater of the China Seas than are found in global fallout. We thus clarified that Pu sources in the China Seas were from both global fallout and the Pacific Proving Grounds (PPG) in the Pacific Marshall Islands. Plutonium from the latter source is transported into the China Seas through the North Equatorial Current (NEC) and Kuroshio. Using a two end-member mixing model, we revealed that the contribution of Pu from the PPG accounts for over 40% of the Pu in the East China Sea (ECS) and South China Sea (SCS), and less than 20% of the Pu in the Yellow Sea (YS). The distributions and isotopic composition of Pu in the China Seas indicate strong scavenging of Pu in the ECS and high Pu accumulation in the SCS. This information on the inventory and isotopic composition of Pu helps to establish a background for the future study of Pu in the China Seas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junwen Wu
- College of Science, Shantou University, Shantou, 515063, China.
| | - Jiang Sun
- College of Science, Shantou University, Shantou, 515063, China
| | - Xiyu Xiao
- College of Science, Shantou University, Shantou, 515063, China
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Men W, Zheng J, Wang H, Ni Y, Kumamoto Y, Yamada M, Uchida S. Pu isotopes in the seawater off Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant site within two months after the severe nuclear accident. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2019; 246:303-310. [PMID: 30557804 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Revised: 12/03/2018] [Accepted: 12/03/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The marine environment is complex, and it is desirable to have measurements for seawater samples collected at the early stage after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident to determine the impact of Fukushima-derived radionuclides on this environment. Here Pu isotopes in seawater collected 33-163 km from the FDNPP site at the very early stage after the accident were determined (May 2011, within two months after the accident). The distribution and temporal variation of 239Pu and 240Pu were studied. The results indicated that both 239+240Pu activity concentrations (from 0.81 ± 0.16 to 11.18 ± 1.28 mBq/m3) and 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios (from 0.216 ± 0.032 to 0.308 ± 0.036) in these seawater samples were within the corresponding background ranges before the accident, and this suggested that Fukushima-derived Pu isotopes, if any, were in too limited amount to be distinguished from the background level in the seawater. The analysis of Pu isotopic composition indicated that the major sources of Pu in the seawater after the accident were still global fallout and the Pacific Proving Ground close-in fallout. The contribution analysis showed that the contributions of the Pacific Proving Ground close-in fallout in the water column of the study area ranged from 26% to 77% with the average being 48%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wu Men
- National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 491 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan; Laboratory of Marine Isotopic Technology and Environmental Risk Assessment, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, 184 Daxue Road, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Jian Zheng
- National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 491 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan.
| | - Hai Wang
- National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 491 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan; School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China
| | - Youyi Ni
- National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 491 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
| | - Yuichiro Kumamoto
- Research and Development Center for Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 2-15 Natushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, 237-0061, Japan
| | - Masatoshi Yamada
- Department of Radiation Chemistry, Institute of Radiation Emergency Medicine, Hirosaki University, 66-1 Hon-cho, Hirosaki, Aomori, 036-8564, Japan
| | - Shigeo Uchida
- National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 491 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
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Wu J. Sources and scavenging of plutonium in the East China Sea. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2018; 135:808-818. [PMID: 30301101 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2018] [Revised: 08/03/2018] [Accepted: 08/03/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The 240Pu/239Pu atom ratio and 239+240Pu activity of seawater in the East China Sea (ECS) was measured in order to examine the Pu sources and elaborate Pu scavenging process. High 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios (0.187-0.243, average = 0.221 ± 0.017) in the surface water and water column were observed during 2011, implying of non-global fallout Pu sources. The distribution of 240Pu/239Pu atom ratio in the ECS was in agreement with the introduction pathway of the Kuroshio, showing a decreasing trend away from the outer shelf. An even higher 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios (0.243-0.263, average = 0.253 ± 0.007) were observed in the Kuroshio, indicating the non-global fallout Pu signal from the Pacific Proving Grounds (PPG). Using a two end-member mixing model, the Pu source from the PPG contribution was calculated to be 36 ± 9% in the ECS seawater. The 239+240Pu activities of surface seawater were in the range of 2.00-2.95 mBq m-3 in the ECS. The spatial distribution of 239+240Pu activity in the surface seawater showed an increasing trend from the outer shelf to the nearshore. Moreover, 239+240Pu inventory of water column at the station DH23 in the ECS was calculated to be ~0.29 Bq m-2, which was 1-3 orders of magnitude lower than the estimates of sediment cores in the ECS shelf (9-407 Bq m-2). Such differences were determined by the high degree Pu scavenging efficiency in the ECS and high Pu input carried by terrestrial sediments from the Yangtze River. Finally, both 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios and 239+240Pu activities were identical before and after the Fukushima nuclear accident (FNA), suggesting that the impact of the FNA on the ECS was negligible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junwen Wu
- Institute of Marine Biology, College of Science, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China; State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiang'an District, Xiamen 361102, China.
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Hao Y, Xu Y, Pan S, Song X, Zhang K, Guo H, Gu Z. Sources of plutonium isotopes and 137Cs in coastal seawaters of Liaodong Bay and Bohai Strait, China and its environmental implications. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2018; 130:240-248. [PMID: 29866553 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.03.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2017] [Revised: 02/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In order to investigate the sources of plutonium in seawaters of Liaodong Bay and Bohai Strait, China, surface seawater samples were collected and analyzed for 239+240Pu and 137Cs by radiochemical separation combined with ICP-MS and γ-spectrometry, respectively. A large variation of 239+240Pu activities was observed, ranging from 1.993 to 29.677 mBq/m3 in the Liaodong Bay and from 0.932 to 10.183 mBq/m3 in the Bohai Strait. 137Cs activities showed little variation between the investigated locations, which was attributed to the different behavior characteristics of 239+240Pu and 137Cs in seawaters. The 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios showed a significant variation between the Liaodong Bay (0.185) and Bohai Strait (0.225), indicating that Pu derived from the Pacific Proving Grounds might have been transported to the Bohai Strait but not yet to the Liaodong Bay, which could further provide valuable reference for evaluating the seawater exchange cycle between the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongpei Hao
- The Key Laboratory of Coastal and Island Development of Ministry of Education, School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Yihong Xu
- The Key Laboratory of Coastal and Island Development of Ministry of Education, School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
| | - Shaoming Pan
- The Key Laboratory of Coastal and Island Development of Ministry of Education, School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
| | - Xiaowei Song
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control & Resources Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210046, China
| | - Kexin Zhang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Haiting Guo
- The Key Laboratory of Coastal and Island Development of Ministry of Education, School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Zhi Gu
- The Key Laboratory of Coastal and Island Development of Ministry of Education, School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
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Wu J, Dai M, Xu Y, Zheng J. Sources and accumulation of plutonium in a large Western Pacific marginal sea: The South China Sea. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 610-611:200-211. [PMID: 28803197 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.07.226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2017] [Revised: 07/25/2017] [Accepted: 07/25/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
In order to examine the sources of plutonium (Pu) and elaborate its scavenging and accumulation processes, 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios and 239+240Pu activities in the water column of the South China Sea (SCS) were determined and compared with our previously reported data for the sediments. Consistently high 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios that ranged from 0.184-0.250 (average=0.228±0.015), indicative of non-global fallout Pu sources were observed both in the surface water and at depth during 2012-2014. The spatial distribution of the 240Pu/239Pu atom ratio in the SCS showed a decreasing trend away from the Luzon Strait, which was very consistent with the introduction pathway of the Kuroshio Current. The Kuroshio had an even heavier Pu isotopic ratio ranging from 0.250-0.263 (average=0.255±0.006), traceable to the non-global fallout Pu signature from the Pacific Proving Grounds (PPG). Using a simple two end-member mixing model, we further revealed that this PPG source contributed 41±17% of the Pu in the SCS water column. The 239+240Pu activities in the SCS surface seawater varied from 1.59 to 2.94mBqm-3, with an average of 2.34±0.38mBqm-3. Such an activity level was ~40% higher than that in the Kuroshio. The distribution of 239+240Pu in the surface seawater further showed a general trend of increase from the Kuroshio to the SCS basin, suggesting significant accumulation of Pu within the SCS. The 239+240Pu inventory of the water column in the SCS basin at the SEATS station with a total depth of ~3840m was estimated to be ~29Bqm-2, which was substantially higher than the sediment core estimates made for the SCS basin (3.75Bqm-2) but much lower than the sediment core estimates made for the shelf of the northern SCS (365.6Bqm-2). Such differences were determined by the lower scavenging efficiency of Pu in the SCS basin compared to the northern SCS shelf.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junwen Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiang'an District, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Minhan Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiang'an District, Xiamen 361102, China.
| | - Yi Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiang'an District, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Jian Zheng
- Fukushima Project Headquarters, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 491 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
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7
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Oikawa S, Watabe T, Takata H. Distributions of Pu isotopes in seawater and bottom sediments in the coast of the Japanese archipelago before and soon after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station accident. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2015; 142:113-123. [PMID: 25659922 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2015.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2014] [Revised: 12/16/2014] [Accepted: 01/06/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
A radioactivity measurement survey was carried out from 24 April 2008 to 3 June 2011 to determine the levels of plutonium isotopes and (240)Pu/(239)Pu atom ratios in the marine environments off the sites of commercial nuclear power stations around the Japanese islands; the sampling period extended to two months after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station accident. In our previous study (Oikawa et al., 2015), data on Pu isotopes and (241)Am in sediments have already been reported. In this study, we report those on Pu isotopes in seawater as well as sediments, and the characteristics of sediments in addition (e.g., ignition loss and biogenic opals). Concentrations of (239+240)Pu in seawater and bottom sediments remained nearly constant at all sampling locations during the survey period. In addition, no regional differences were observed in the (239+240)Pu concentrations in surface waters. Higher (239+240)Pu concentrations were found in bottom waters at deeper sampling locations, but the (240)Pu/(239)Pu atom ratios were nearly constant regardless of the water depth. Higher (239+240)Pu concentrations were also found in bottom sediments at deeper sampling locations, but vice versa for (240)Pu/(239)Pu atom ratios as reported in the previous report. The sediments samples from deeper locations showed the higher percentage of ignition loss as well as the higher content of biogenic opal. There was likely to be some driving force participating in the transfer of Pu isotopes associated with biogenic substances to the deeper seabed. The present survey showed that the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station did not contribute much to the inventory of Pu isotopes in the adjacent sea area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinji Oikawa
- Central Laboratory, Marine Ecology Research Institute, 300 Iwawada, Onjuku-machi, Isumu-gun, Chiba 299-5105, Japan
| | - Teruhisa Watabe
- Head Office, Marine Ecology Research Institute, Towa-Edogawabashi Bldg. 7F., 347 Yamabuki-cho, Shinjuku, Tokyo 162-0801, Japan
| | - Hyoe Takata
- Central Laboratory, Marine Ecology Research Institute, 300 Iwawada, Onjuku-machi, Isumu-gun, Chiba 299-5105, Japan.
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Bu W, Zheng J, Aono T, Wu J, Tagami K, Uchida S, Guo Q, Yamada M. Pu Distribution in Seawater in the Near Coastal Area off Fukushima after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [DOI: 10.14494/jnrs.15.1_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- W.T. Bu
- Research Center for Radiation Protection, National Institute of Radiological Sciences
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University
| | - J. Zheng
- Research Center for Radiation Protection, National Institute of Radiological Sciences
| | - T. Aono
- Research Center for Radiation Protection, National Institute of Radiological Sciences
| | - J.W. Wu
- Research Center for Radiation Protection, National Institute of Radiological Sciences
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environment Science, Xiamen University
| | - K. Tagami
- Research Center for Radiation Protection, National Institute of Radiological Sciences
| | - S. Uchida
- Research Center for Radiation Protection, National Institute of Radiological Sciences
| | - Q.J. Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University
| | - M. Yamada
- Department of Radiation Chemistry, Institute of Radiation Emergency Medicine, Hirosaki University
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Yamada M, Zheng J. ²³⁹Pu and ²⁴⁰Pu inventories and ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratios in the equatorial Pacific Ocean water column. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2012; 430:20-27. [PMID: 22613463 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.04.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2012] [Revised: 04/24/2012] [Accepted: 04/25/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The (239+240)Pu concentrations and (240)Pu/(239)Pu atom ratios were determined by alpha spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for seawater samples from two stations, one at the equator and the other in the equatorial South Pacific. To better understand the fate of Pu isotopes, this study dealt with the contribution of the close-in fallout Pu from the Pacific Proving Grounds (PPG) in water columns of the Pacific Ocean. The (239)Pu, (240)Pu and (239+240)Pu inventories over the depth interval 0-3000 m at the equator station were 10.4, 8.9 and 19.3 Bq m(-2), respectively. Further, no noticeable difference was observed in (239)Pu, (240)Pu and (239+240)Pu inventories over the depth interval 0-3000 m between the two stations. The total (239+240)Pu inventories were significantly higher than the expected cumulative deposition density of global fallout. Water column (239+240)Pu inventories measured in this study were lower than those reported for comparable stations in the Geochemical Ocean Sections Study, indicating that these inventories have been decreasing at average rates of 0.89 ± 0.07 and 0.16 ± 0.07 Bq m(-2)yr(-1) at the equator and equatorial South Pacific stations, respectively, from 1973 to 1990. The obtained (240)Pu/(239)Pu atom ratios were higher than the mean global fallout ratio of 0.18. These high atom ratios proved the existence of close-in tropospheric fallout Pu from the PPG in the Marshall Islands. The (239+240)Pu inventories originating from the close-in fallout in the entire water column were estimated to be 11.1 Bq m(-2) at the equator station and 7.1 Bq m(-2) at the equatorial South Pacific Ocean station, and the relative percentages of close-in fallout Pu were 40% at the former and 34% at the latter. A significant amount of close-in fallout Pu originating from the PPG has been transported to deep layers below the 1000 m depth in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masatoshi Yamada
- Department of Radiation Chemistry, Institute of Radiation Emergency Medicine, Hirosaki University, 66-1 Hon-cho, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8564, Japan.
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