Geochemical distribution and long-term behavior of radioactive cesium in soils

Saito, Takumi; Murota, Kento*

Long-term behavior of radioactive cesium (Cs) in soils is of great concern in radiation protection and storage and disposal of excavated soils in heavily contaminated areas by the accident of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant (F1 NPP). Although a large number of research on the fixation of Cs in soils have been performed since the Chernobyl accident, long-term release behaviors of Cs from contaminated soils are relatively unknown, partly because the apparent strong uptake of Cs by micaceous minerals in soils, which leads to a static picture of its behavior in soils. This study tires to pose a question on this issue by statistically evaluating geochemical and size distribution of Cs in even Fukushima soils and performing long-term extraction experiments at the so-called "infinite bath" condition.