Annual report on the environmental radiation monitoring around the Tokai Reprocessing Plant FY2022

Kokubun, Yuji; Nakada, Akira; Seya, Natsumi; Koike, Yuko; Nemoto, Masashi; Tobita, Keiji; Yamada, Ryohei*; Uchiyama, Rei; Yamashita, Daichi; Nagai, Shinji; et al.

JAEA-Review 2023-046, 164 Pages, 2024/03

JAEA-Review-2023-046.pdf:4.2MB

The Nuclear Fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratories conducts environmental radiation monitoring around the reprocessing plant in accordance with the "Safety Regulations for Reprocessing Plant of JAEA, Part IV: Environmental Monitoring". This report summarizes the results of environmental radiation monitoring conducted during the period from April 2022 to March 2023 and the results of dose calculations for the surrounding public due to the release of radioactive materials into the atmosphere and ocean. In the results of the above environmental radiation monitoring, many items were affected by radioactive materials emitted from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant of Tokyo Electric Power Company, Incorporated (changed to Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. on April 1, 2016), which occurred in March 2011. Also included as appendices are an overview of the environmental monitoring plan, an overview of measurement methods, measurement results and their changes over time, meteorological statistics results, radioactive waste release status, and an evaluation of the data which deviated of the normal range.

Experimental determination of the topological phase diagram in Cerium monopnictides

Kuroda, Kenta*; Ochi, Masayuki*; Suzuki, Hiroyuki*; Hirayama, Motoaki*; Nakayama, Mitsuhiro*; Noguchi, Ryo*; Bareille, C.*; Akebi, Shuntaro*; Kunisada, So*; Muro, Takayuki*; et al.

Physical Review Letters, 120(8), p.086402_1 - 086402_6, 2018/02

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.086402

Evaluation of SCCVII tumor cell survival in clamped and non-clamped solid tumors exposed to carbon-ion beams in comparison to X-rays

Hirayama, Ryoichi*; Uzawa, Akiko*; Takase, Nobuhiro*; Matsumoto, Yoshitaka*; Noguchi, Miho; Koda, Kana*; Ozaki, Masakuni*; Yamashita, Kei*; Li, H.*; Kase, Yuki*; et al.

Mutation Research; Genetic Toxicology And Environmental Mutagenesis, 756(1-2), p.146 - 151, 2013/08

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mrgentox.2013.05.008

A Study on the technology for reducing cement-type materials used for tunnel supports at high-level radioactive waste disposal sites (Joint research)

Hayashi, Katsuhiko; Noguchi, Akira; Kishi, Hirokazu; Kabayashi, Yasushi*; Nakama, Shigeo; Fujita, Tomoo; Naito, Morimasa; Tada, Hiroyuki*; Kumasaka, Hiroo*; Goke, Mitsuo*; et al.

JAEA-Research 2010-057, 101 Pages, 2011/03

JAEA-Research-2010-057.pdf:7.47MB

Cement-type materials that are used for supports or grouting at high-level radioactive waste disposal facilities leach into the groundwater and create a highly alkaline environment. Of concern in highly alkaline environments are the alteration of bentonite used as buffers or backfill materials, and of surrounding rock mass, and the increased uncertainty regarding the provision of performance of the disposal system over a long period of time. In this study, to reduce the quantity of cement-type materials that cause highly alkaline environments, technical feasibility of the support structure including the materials which considered the long-term performance of the HLW disposal system are discussed by using knowledge and technology accumulated in JAEA and Shimizu Construction. Moreover, based on the results, the problems remained in the application to the future HLW disposal institution are summarized.

Enhanced radiation-induced cell killing by Herbimycin A pre-treatment

Noguchi, Miho; Hirayama, Ryoichi*; Druzhinin, S.*; Okayasu, Ryuichi*

Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 78(12), p.1184 - 1187, 2009/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radphyschem.2009.07.008

Herbimycin A (HA), as in Geldanamycin, binds to conserved pockets of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) and inhibits its chaperone functions. Hsp90 plays an integral role in cancer cell growth and survival, because it maintains the stability of several key proteins by its chaperone's activity. It is known that some of the proteins associated with radiation responses are functionally stabilized by Hsp90. In this study, we investigated the effect of HA on radiosensitivity in human cancer cells and the mechanism related to the sensitization. In order to gain a mechanistic insight of this sensitization, we examined repair of DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) in irradiated human cancer cells pre-treated with HA, as unrepaired DSBs are thought to be the main cause of radiation-induced cell death. Cellular radiosensitivity was determined by clonogenic assay, and the DSB rejoining kinetics was examined by constant field gel electrophoresis. SQ-5, a lung squamous carcinoma cell line, showed synergistic increase in radiosensitivity when cells were pre-treated with HA. In addition, HA significantly inhibited repair of radiation induced DSBs. These results suggest that the combination of HA and ionizing radiation may be a useful therapeutic strategy for treating certain cancer cells.

Contributions of direct and indirect actions in cell killing by high-LET radiations

Hirayama, Ryoichi*; Ito, Atsushi*; Tomita, Masanori*; Tsukada, Teruyo*; Yatagai, Fumio*; Noguchi, Miho; Matsumoto, Yoshitaka*; Kase, Yuki*; Ando, Koichi*; Okayasu, Ryuichi*; et al.

Radiation Research, 171(2), p.212 - 218, 2009/02

https://doi.org/10.1667/RR1490.1

The biological effects of radiation originate principally in damages to DNA. DNA damages by X-rays as well as heavy ions are induced by a combination of direct and indirect actions. The contribution of indirect action in cell killing can be estimated from the maximum degree of protection by dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), which suppresses indirect action without affecting direct action. Exponentially growing Chinese hamster V79 cells were exposed to high-LET radiations of 20 to 2106 keV/m in the presence or absence of DMSO and their survival was determined using a colony formation assay. The contribution of indirect action to cell killing decreased with increasing LET. However, the contribution did not reach zero even at very high LETs and was estimated to be 32% at an LET of 2106 keV/m. Therefore, even though the radiochemically estimated G value of OH radicals was nearly zero at an LET of 1000 keV/m, indirect action by OH radicals contributed to a substantial fraction of the biological effects of high-LET radiations. The RBE determined at a survival level of 10% increased with LET, reaching a maximum value of 2.88 at 200 keV/m, and decreased thereafter. When the RBE was estimated separately for direct action (RBE(D)) and indirect action (RBE(I)); both exhibited an LET dependence similar to that of the RBE, peaking at 200 keV/m. However, the peak value was much higher for RBE(D) (5.99) than RBE(I) (1.89). Thus direct action contributes more to the high RBE of high-LET radiations than indirect action does.

The Heat shock protein 90 inhibitor 17-AAG may cause DNA double strand break repair inhibition

Noguchi, Miho; Yu, D.*; Hirayama, Ryoichi*; Kubota, Nobuo*; Okayasu, Ryuichi*

no journal, , 

The aim of this study is to evaluate the radiosensitization of Hsp90 inhibitor 17-Allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17AAG), specifically the effect of 17AAG on the DNA DSB repair machinery. Our constant field gel electrophoresis studies indicated that pretreatment with 17AAG for 24 hours inhibited radiation induced DSB repair in two cancer cell lines (DU145 and SQ-5). The treatment of 17AAG alone leads to the reduction of Rad51 protein expression by western blotting, and the combined treatment with X-irradiation caused a delay in the formation of nuclear Rad51 foci by immuno-staining. These results suggest that 17AAG affects the key protein(s) for HRR, resulting in the radiosensitization of tumor cells. Our data show for the first time that 17AAG is a DNA DSB repair inhibitor, predominantly affecting the homologous recombination pathway.

Development of construction methods of a drift to be reduction of amount of cement use, 8; The Bending test of the rock segment using low alkaline mortar

Saito, Akira*; Goke, Mitsuo*; Nakaya, Atsushi*; Tada, Hiroyuki*; Hayashi, Katsuhiko; Noguchi, Akira; Kishi, Hirokazu; Nakama, Shigeo

no journal, , 

We are supposing a low cement use tunner support made for granite rock block connecting low alkaline cement applying to HLW repositories. Because of the bending moment of the segment by dead load and the variance of the earth pressure, We made a model segment bending experiment to get a mechanical properties. The maximum load of the positive bending moment is around 210kN, which is around twice of the dead load of 117kN. The other hand, the maximum load in the negative bending moment is around 44kN, as same as the dead load. As the result of observating the cracks of the model segment, We found three or four cracks along the surface of the boundary of the rock block and mortar in the positive bending experiment. The other hand, we found only one crack at the center avoiding rock block in the negative bending experiment. Next, we will improve the construction method, prevention of the crack in the segment and the exfoliation of mortar and the steel panel.

Development of construction methods of a drift to be reduction of amount of cement use, 10; Study on bending properties of the rock segment using low alkaline mortar

Tada, Hiroyuki*; Saito, Akira*; Nakaya, Atsushi*; Kumasaka, Hiroo*; Hayashi, Katsuhiko; Noguchi, Akira; Kishi, Hirokazu; Nakama, Shigeo

no journal, , 

Bending test of the segmental rings consist of staggered pieces of rocks bonded by low-pH mortar is conducted in order to identify the mechanical properties of rock segmental rings comparing with parallel arrangement. As a result, it was found that the maximum load was reached at 130 to 210 kN in the positive bending tests for staggered rock blocks, lower than 210 to 270 kN for rock blocks arranged in parallel. In the negative bending tests, on the other hand, the maximum load was reached at 30 to 40 kN, lower than a maximum load of 40 kN for the rock blocks arranged in parallel. The results thus varied. Cracks occurred along the interface between the rock block and mortar in the specimen for the blocks arranged in parallel. For the staggered rock blocks, cracks penetrated through the mortar and the rock block near the point of loading in the specimen. Thus, it was confirmed that cracking occurred in different manners.

Direct action is the key to understand the high biological effects caused by particle beams

Hirayama, Ryoichi*; Matsumoto, Yoshitaka*; Uzawa, Akiko*; Takase, Nobuhiro*; Tsuruoka, Chizuru*; Wada, Mami*; Noguchi, Miho; Kase, Yuki*; Matsufuji, Naruhiro*; Ito, Atsushi*; et al.

no journal, , 

The contribution of indirect action mediated by OH radicals in cell killing can be estimated from the maximum degree of protection by dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), which suppresses indirect action of radiation without affecting direct action. Exponentially growing Chinese hamster ovary cells under oxic and hypoxic conditions were exposed to X-rays and iron ions having a dose-averaged LET at 200 keV/micrometer in the presence or absence of DMSO, and the cell survival was determined using the colony formation assay. The contributions of indirect action of 76% and 50% were found for X-rays under oxic and hypoxic conditions, respectively. In contrast, the contributions of indirect action for iron ions were estimated to be 42% and 32%. The RBE values were 2.8 for oxic and 5.3 for hypoxic, and the OER values were 2.8 for X-rays and 1.5 for iron ions. When the RBE and OER were estimated separately for direct action (RBE(D) and OER(D)) and indirect action (RBE(I) and OER(I)); the RBE(D) was larger than RBE(I) under both normal and low oxygen concentrations. The OER(D) values for both X-rays and iron ions were lower than that for OER(I). Thus, direct action of radiation gives a remarkably higher RBE and lower OER for cell killing than indirect action. It is possible that particle beams may be highly effective in treating cancer if the particle therapy can only use the portion of direct action out of total radiation actions; this would be exemplified by the usage of radioactive 9C-ion beams and boron neutron capture.