Establishment of a Laboratory for -ray Spectrometry of Environmental Samples Collected in Fukushima

Saegusa, Jun; Yoda, Tomoyuki; Maeda, Satoshi; Okazaki, Tsutomu; Otani, Shuichi; Yamaguchi, Toshio; Kurita, Yoshiyuki; Hasumi, Atsushi; Yonezawa, Chushiro*; Takeishi, Minoru 

After the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in March 2011, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency has newly set up a laboratory for radioactivity analysis in Fukushima. At the laboratory, radioactivity concentrations of environmental samples such as soil, water, dust filter, plant, etc., approximately 1,000 samples in a month, are measured with high-resolution -ray spectrometry systems. The systems employ n-type HPGe detectors from Ortec. Since September 2012, characterization and upgrade of the systems have been performed aimed at enhancing reliability of analysis and convenience of customers. Resolving both systematic and technical issues, the laboratory has been accredited the ISO/IEC 17025 standard as a testing laboratory for radioactivity analysis.