Results of low and high resolution gamma spectra of surface soil sample from Aizu Wakamatsu, 100km from

Fukushima Daiichi, Japan suggest presence of Uranium contamination from the reactors. Green Audit Busby Laboratory, Aberystwyth UK Green Audit Report 2011/22 Chris Busby PhD A surface soil sample was personally taken from the edge of the hard standing in the car park by a church in Aizu Wakamatsu, the "United Church of Christ in Japan, Wakamatsu Sakaecho" in July 2011. Aizu Wakamatsu is approximately 100km west of the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The background exposure rate measured 10cm from the surface was between 0.5 and 0.7Sv/h using a Russian SOSNA twin chamber Geiger Counter. The thickness of the surface was about 1cm and the material has collected at the edge of the car park. About 200g of this material was collected and brought back for analysis. Some has been sent for Strontium-90 analysis and the remainder was examined by both low resolution and high resolution gamma spectrometry with long count time. The results showed the presence of a number of nuclides as listed below. Fig 1 shows the high resolution spectrum with a focus on part the low energy region relating to Uranium daughters Th234 and Th231. Table 1 shows the detected radionuclides and their activities. Table 1 Gamma spectral assignments of Aizu Wakamatsu soil sample. T = 25352 seconds. The Th231 activity is about 0.27 of the Th234 activity. Counted on August 30th.

Nuclide Cs134 Cs137 K-40 Pb210 Pb212 Th234 Th231

Activity Bq/kg 6160 (+-5%) 8170 (+-5.4%) 298 (+-14%) 281 (+-54%) 17 (+-54%) 112 (+-30%) 30 (+_54%)

Certainty % 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

Note reactor reactor Natural Ra226 daughter Ra228 (Th232 daughter) U238 daughter gives U238 activity; reactor? U235 daughter gives U235 activity; reactor? High enrichment ratio reactor reactor reactor Ra 226 daughter

Te129m Te129 Ag110m Bi214

trace trace trace 81 (+-30)

100 100 100 100

This sample showed the presence of Cs134 and Cs137 in the spectrum taken in the field in Auzu Wakamatsu. Am-241 and Np239 were both absent below a limit of 10Bq/kg which was the approximate detection limit with this count time (Table 2).

Table 2 Nuclides absent at the levels indicated Nuclide Activity - Bq/KG Measured Decay Corrected < 15.0 < 9.9 < 9.0 < 17.0 < 3.3 < 1.9 < 93.0 < 4.3 < 14.0 < 5.4 < 3.2 < 1100.0 < 3.7 < 43.0 < 9.4 < 3.3 < 21.0 < 9.2 < 8.1

Ag-110M : < 14.0 Am-241 : < 9.9 Ba-133 : < 9.0 Ce-144 : < 17.0 Co-58 : < 3.2 Co-60 : < 1.9 Cr-51 : < 83.0 Eu-154 : < 4.3 Eu-155 : < 14.0 Fe-59 : < 5.0 Mn-54 : < 3.2 Na-24 : < 6.6 Nb-95 : < 3.5 Rh-106 : < 42.0 Ru-103 : < 8.7 Sb-124 : < 3.1 Sb-125 : < 21.0 Zn-65 : < 9.0 Zr-95 : < 7.7 Conclusions

The specific activity of Cs137 was just over 8000Bq/kg. This represents a surface contamination of 128kBq/sq metre for a 1cm layer which is approximately what was measured in the field in July with the portable MCA 2 inch Sodium Iodide detector system which gave 130kBq/sq metre of Cs 137. There is also about the same amount of Cs-134, giving a total of 260,000 Bq/square metre. This would theoretically be expected to give an exposure rate of 0. 83Sv/h which was close to what was measured with the Geiger counter. Of interest here is the peak from Thorium231 which should not be there in a natural sample since it is a decay daughter of Uranium 235. The Uranium 238 to Uranium 235 ratio in natural samples is 138:1. But in this sample it is nearer 3:1 which makes the Uranium highly enriched. Uranium-235 is, of course, the decay product of Plutonium-239 which was a component of the MOX fuel in Fukushima Reactor 3. Plutonium-239 cannot be detected by gamma spectrometry. Although caution should be exercised in drawing this conclusion on the basis of the exact ratio since the peaks are weak (Fig 1) it would suggest there is far too much enriched Uranium here, which is of concern. A sample will be sent for Mass spectrometry (ICPMS) to follow this up. The total Uranium concentration is also quite high at 112 Bq/kg (expected is about 10 to 20Bq/kg). The matter of the Uranium contamination requires more research.

Fig 2 Fitzpeaks assignments of Th234 and Th231 peaks in Aizu Wakamatsu sample.