Temporal variation of tritium concentration in monthly precipitation collected at a Difficult-to-Return Zone in Namie Town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 31; no. 5; pp. 7818 - 7827
• Main Authors: Yamada, Ryohei, Hasegawa, Hidenao, Akata, Naofumi, Kakiuchi, Hideki, Ochiai, Shinya, Kuwata, Haruka, Kheamsiri, Khemruthai, Tokonami, Shinji, Ueda, Shinji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.01.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Cesium Radioisotopes - analysis; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Fukushima Nuclear Accident; Japan; Nuclear power plants; Precipitation; Radiation Monitoring; Rain water; Research Article; Scintillation counters; Temporal variations; Treated water; Tritium; Waste Water Technology; Water; Water discharge; Water Management; Water Pollutants, Radioactive - analysis; Water Pollution Control; Japan; Difficult-to-Return Zone; Tritium; Radionuclide; Precipitation; Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant; Long-term observation
• ISSN: 1614-7499; 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-31652-9

This article discusses tritium concentrations in monthly precipitation in part of the Difficult-to-Return Zone in Namie Town during 2012–2021. The tritium concentrations, which were measured with a low background liquid scintillation counter after carrying out an enrichment procedure, fluctuated seasonally from 0.10 ± 0.02 to 0.85 ± 0.02 Bq L −1 . This range of concentrations is concluded to not be unusual based on comparisons with the concentrations at other sites and estimates of the past range of the concentrations. Moreover, no significant variations in observed tritium concentrations were observed due to decommissioning work at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant. These results contribute to understanding the background level of tritium concentration in precipitation before the oceanic discharge of treated water from the Fukushima plant. In addition, this article evaluates the amount of tritium supplied to the ocean by terrestrial rainwater pouring into the Pacific Ocean via Ukedo River, which flows through Namie Town; this information will contribute to the discussion on the impact of the oceanic discharge of treated water.