Rapid analytical method for OBT in marine products

Kuwata, Haruka*; Hagiwara, Hiroki  ; Yanagisawa, Kayo*; Manabe, Sachi*; Takeishi, Minoru ; Watanabe, Hitoshi; Uezu, Yasuhiro

Tritium is included in liquid waste from Tokyo Electric Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, but concentrations of it in marine products and seawater have differences. Furthermore, concentrations of Organically Bound Tritium (OBT) and Tissue Free Water Tritium (TFWT) in marine products also have differences. Therefore, it is important to distinguish OBT from TFWT in marine products. A chemical procedure of OBT analysis needs very long time because a pretreatment process is complicated. Thus, a rapid analytical method for OBT in marine products was developed by Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA). Due to this new methods of freeze-drying combined heating-drying, an analysis time is shorter than a conventional method from 14 to 7 days. The concentrations of TFWT and OBT in the flatfish sample which was caught near the Power Station were less than a detection limit (5, 0.5 Bq.kg, respectively).