Study on long-term radiation exposure analysis after the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident: validation of the EU long-term radiation exposure model (ERMIN)

• Published in: Journal of nuclear science and technology Vol. 53; no. 6; pp. 774 - 782
• Main Authors: Kim, Minsik, Ohba, Ryohji, Oura, Masamichi, Kato, Shinsuke
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo Taylor & Francis 02.06.2016; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: accident; Accidental contamination; Accidents; Air pollution; caesium 137; deposition; Nuclear accidents; Nuclear accidents & safety; Nuclear energy; Nuclear power generation; Nuclear power plants; Partnerships; radiation dose; Radiation effects; recovery; INW, Japan, Honshu, Fukushima Prefect
• ISSN: 0022-3131; 1881-1248
• DOI: 10.1080/00223131.2015.1077170

The Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident led to the dispersion of radioactive material by wind that resulted in soil and air pollution over a wide area. Even now, more than 150,000 people in Fukushima prefecture are still relocated from their homes. In order to estimate how long such relocation might continue, we estimated radiation exposures for the 10 years following the accident that occurred on 12 March 2011, using European model for inhabited areas (ERMIN) developed by a partnership of several European organizations. We validated the estimated results of long-term radiation exposure with the observed data at 1, 2 and 3 years after the nuclear accident. We analyzed the deposition velocity and re-suspension coefficient using the observed data on air concentration, amount of falling dust and soil contamination, and compared them with the published data.