Application of PIXE analysis to investigation of plants cultivated with contaminated soil of Fukushima

作者：Ishii K^*; Terakawa A; Matsuyama S; Ishizaki A; Arai H; Osada N; Sugai H; Takahashi H; Sera K; Sasaki H; Sasaki K; Sawamura T

来源：Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms , 2014, 332: 46-49.

DOI：10.1016/j.nimb.2014.02.027

• Fukushima nuclear disaster
• Cesium (Cs)
• Contamination of plants
• PIXE analysis

We present a method to research low radioactive cesium contaminated plants by the use of PIXE analysis. Highly contaminated regions still remain in the Fukushima prefecture. We collected wild plants growing in this area, that is, Butterbur, Welsh onion, Alpine leek and White clover and measured their specific activities of Cs-137 and K-40. We also measured Cs-137 and K-40 specific activities of soil under these plants. Soil-to-plant transfer factors of Cs-137 were similar to 0.02 for 4 wild plants and those of K-40 were similar to 0.5 except for White clover. Using PIXE analysis, we measured the concentration of mineral elements in these plants. Among mineral elements, we noted the concentrations of additional alkali metal elements such as Na, K and Rb. The experimental results showed that the concentration of Rb was proportional to the specific activities of Cs-137 except for Welsh onion and other elements had no strong correlation with Cs-137. These results indicate that there may be correlations between the adsorption of Cs and Rb.

• 出版日期2014-8-1