Aerosol Sample Inhomogeneity with Debris from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident

Journal Article · Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014 · Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 135:1-5

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2014.03.011· OSTI ID:1214079

Gomez, Reynaido; Biegalski, Steven R.; Woods, Vincent T.

Radionuclide aerosol sampling is a vital component in the detection of nuclear explosions, nuclear accidents, and other radiation releases. This was proven by the detection and tracking of emissions from the Fukushima Daiichi incident across the globe by IMS stations. Two separate aerosol samplers were operated in Richland, WA following the event and debris from the accident were measured at levels well above detection limits. While the atmospheric activity concentration of radionuclides generally compared well between the two stations, they did not agree within uncertainties. This paper includes a detailed study of the aerosol sample homogeneity of ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs, then relates it to the overall uncertainty of the original measurement. Our results show that sample inhomogeneity adds an additional 5–10% uncertainty to each aerosol measurement and that this uncertainty is in the same range as the discrepancies between the two aerosol sample measurements from Richland, WA.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 1214079
• Report Number(s): PNNL-SA-100265; WN0219080
• Journal Information: Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 135:1-5, Journal Name: Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 135:1-5
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English