Isotopic composition of uranium in aerosol samples collected at 120 km south-southwestern of Fukushima before and after the nuclear power plant accident

Shinonaga, Taeko*; Markus, L.*; Okura, Takehisa

no journal, , 

The isotopic composition of uranium (U) in aerosol samples collected before and after the accident of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDI-NPP), occurred on March 11, 2011, was studied. The aerosol samples were collected on filters by an air sampling system in Tokai, Japan (at 120 km south-southwestern of the FDI-NPP). The U isotopic composition in each filter was analyzed by sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SF-ICPMS). The compositions of U in the samples collected after the accident show that non-natural U existed in the aerosol. The results of series measurements of radioactive materials before and after the accident indicate that the radioactive materials released from the FDI-NPP into the atmosphere were transported to the sampling station in Tokai, a place at 120 km distance from the FDI-NPP, within a day.