Tag: Media Coverage

Quantitative Analysis Reveals Widespread Dispersion of Radioactive Cesium-Rich Microparticles (CsMPs) Released from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident

Journal of Hazardous Materials cover for the featured research paper

Overview

A research team led by Associate Professor Shinya Yamasaki of the Radioisotope Research Division, CRiES, University of Tsukuba, and Professor Satoshi Utsunomiya of National Taiwan University has published a new study in the Journal of Hazardous Materials. The findings were also featured in a press release issued by the University of Tsukuba.
※Press release document （PDF855KB）(Available in Japanese only.)

The study investigated the large-scale distribution and dispersion processes of radioactive cesium-rich microparticles (CsMPs) released during the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. By analyzing soil samples collected from 100 locations across Fukushima Prefecture, the researchers found substantial regional variations in both the abundance of CsMPs and their contribution to total radioactivity. In some areas, more than 60% of the soil radioactivity was attributable to CsMPs.

Comparison with atmospheric dispersion simulations further revealed that large quantities of CsMPs were generated and released during the early hours of March 15, 2011, and subsequently transported over a wide area of Fukushima Prefecture under prevailing meteorological conditions. In contrast, radioactive plumes released after March 16 contained few CsMPs and were dominated by more water-soluble forms of radioactive cesium.

These findings improve our understanding of the environmental behavior of radioactive microparticles released during nuclear accidents and provide valuable information for future environmental risk assessments and dispersion modeling of radioactive contaminants.

Publication Information

Uncovering Hidden Dispersion Patterns of Radioactive Cesium-Rich Microparticles from Fukushima Daiichi
Miyazaki, K., Fueda, K., Kadowaki, M., Terada, H., Kozai, N., Iwata, H., Horie, K., Takehara, M., Yamasaki, S., Grambow, B., Law, G.T.W., Ewing, R.C., Utsunomiya, S., Journal of Hazardous Materials, 511, (2026), DOI:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.142180 (P-25-13)

Media coverage

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Effects of Large-Scale Wildfires on the Redistribution of Radionuclides in the Chornobyl River System

Journal of Environmental Science & Technology cover for the featured research paper

Overview

A paper by a research group led by Associate Professor Yasunori Igarashi of Tsukuba University and Project Professor Alexei Konoplev of Fukushima University has been joint press released.

The study investigated the impact of a large forest fire in April 2020 in the Chornobyli controlled area of Ukraine on the redistribution of radioactive materials. After the fire, the abundance of 137Cs and 90Sr in carbonized residues and soil was identified, and long-term monitoring of concentrations in streams showed that the fire enhanced the redistribution of 137Cs and 90Sr. *Press release (PDF 404KB)

Publication Information

Effects of Large-Scale Wildfires on the Redistribution of Radionuclides in the Chornobyl River System
Yasunori Igarashi, Valentyn Protsak, Gennady Laptev, Igor Maloshtan, Dmitry Samoilov, Serhii Kirieiev, Yuichi Onda, Alexei Konoplev, Environmental Science & Technology, 2024, DOI:10.1021/acs.est.4c07019

Media Coverage

  • AGU Eos（2025年1月30日）
    Wildfires Raise Concern About Remobilized Radioactive Contamination
    Researchers collected soil and ash after the 2020 wildfires in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. Chemical tests suggested that the fires made it easier for contaminants to wash into nearby rivers.
Forest fire in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone
Photo: Provided by Denis Vishnevskiy

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Research by the University of Tsukuba, Fukushima University, and JAEA Featured in Jiji Press

Research conducted by the University of Tsukuba, Fukushima University, and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has been featured in Jiji Press.

The article reports that the environmental impact of cesium-137, a radioactive isotope with a half-life of approximately 30 years released during the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, has declined more rapidly than after the 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident in the former Soviet Union. This is attributed to the migration of radiocesium into the soil and the relatively limited transport of contaminated sediment through rivers.

Article Title

“Radiation Impact Declines More Rapidly: Migration into Soil and Limited River Transport – Study by the University of Tsukuba and Others on the Fukushima Nuclear Accident”

Published: March 7, 2021

Research by JAEA, the University of Tsukuba, and NIES Featured in Asahi Shimbun Digital

Research conducted by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), the Center for Research in Isotopes and Environmental Dynamics (CRiED), University of Tsukuba, and the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) has been featured in Asahi Shimbun Digital.

The article introduces long-term studies on forests, rivers, and freshwater fish that investigate the environmental fate and transport of radioactive materials released following the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2011.

Article Title

“Where Did the Cesium Released from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Go? — Understanding the Environmental Reality”

Published: September 7, 2020