A fresh and unexpected source of radioactive stuff left over from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear catastrophe has been found up to 60 miles away along coastlines near the beleaguered plant . The discovery shows that damaged nuclear reactor are capable of spread radiation far from the nuclear meltdown site , and in some surprising ways .
Newresearchpublished this hebdomad in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that radioactive cesium from the Fukushima atomic world power works is collecting in the sand and groundwater along a 60 - mile ( 100 - kilometre ) stretch of coastline near the facility . Cesium-137 is a radioactive isotope of atomic number 55 ( a gentle , silvery - gold metal ) that ’s make by nuclear nuclear fission andpotentially fatal to humans when exposed to gamy concentration . The scientists who lead the study , Virginie Sanial of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Seiya Nagao of Kanazawa University , say the levels of actinotherapy “ are not of primary concern ” to public wellness , but that this newfangled and out of the blue source “ should be taken into score in the management of coastal areas where nuclear powerfulness plants are situate . ”
Indeed , approximately one-half of the 440 useable nuclear nuclear reactor in the world are deposit on a coastline . After the 2011 accident , scientist monitor leaking radiation sickness as it accede into the atmosphere or filter into river , but the Fukushima industrial plant — damaged by a devastating earthquake and tsunami — is the first major incident to happen along such a large piss body , namely the Pacific Ocean . This new PNAS subject area is now the first to consider ulterior pathways for the computer storage and release of radioactive contaminants watch a atomic disaster .
The researchers try eight beach between 2013 and 2016 , all within 60 miles of the plant . They plunge seven - foot - long tubes into the gumption , pull up sand and groundwater samples for analysis . The cesium levels in the briny groundwater — a combination of wise water and common salt water — was ten time high than what ’s presently being detect in the waters swirling around Fukushima ’s harbor , while caesium was tracked in the sand up to a deepness of three feet .
Sanial and Nagao suspect that high levels of radioactive cesium-137 were released into the surroundings following the 2011 disaster , and then send along the coast by sea currents . In the days and weeks come the meltdown , waves and tide delivered this radioactive thriftlessness back onto the surrounding coastal beaches . The atomic number 55 attached itself to the surfaces of the George Sand grains , and some handle to trickle down to the groundwater below .
But here ’s the thing — cesium loses its “ stickiness ” when it ’s let out to salinity water . So with each passing undulation and lunar time period , the atomic number 55 is easy getting released back into the sea . The amount of radioactive waste observe by the researchers in the adjoining urine is roughly equal to the sum drifting in from the other two know sources : on-going releases and overflow from the industrial plant itself , and run over from rivers that carry Cs from the fallout on land . Importantly , all three of these sources are releasing radiation sickness at rate thousands of prison term modest than what was experienced straight off after the 2011 disaster . Cesium has foresighted half - living , so “ only prison term will slowly bump off the Cs from the sands as it of course decays away and is washed out by brine , ” say Sanial in a release .
As take note , the amount of radioactive cesium observed does n’t pose a public wellness risk , but this latest survey signal that radioactive material can be transported far from accident site . At the same time , the discovery adds another layer of complexness when deciding how to well contend a plant — and where to put it .
[ Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ]
FukushimaNuclear WastePollutionScience
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