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Issue 4, 2018
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The role of mass spectrometry in radioactive contamination assessment after the Fukushima nuclear accident

Wenting Bu, ORCID logo a   Youyi Ni,bc   Georg Steinhauser,d   Wang Zheng,e   Jian Zheng ORCID logo *b  and  Naoki Furutaf  
Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

a Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, China
E-mail: wtbu@caep.cn

b Fukushima Project Headquarters, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Anagawa 4-9-1, Inage, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
E-mail: zheng.jian@qst.go.jp

c State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China

d Institute of Radioecology and Radiation Protection, Leibniz Universität Hannover, 30419 Hannover, Germany

e School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85201, USA

f Faculty of Science and Engineering, Department of Applied Chemistry, Chuo University, 1-13-27 Kasuga, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan

Abstract

The Fukushima nuclear accident caused the release of large amounts of radionuclides into the environment. After the accident, radioactive contamination assessment in environmental samples is essential for radiation dose estimation and radioactive remediation. Mass spectrometry characterized by high sensitivity, low detection limit, short measuring time, high sample throughput, and the capability to obtain atomic ratios is a promising technique for the analysis of the accident released long-lived radionuclides. This review describes the developed analytical methods based on mass spectrometric techniques for the determination of radionuclides (Pu isotopes, U isotopes, radiocesium, radioiodine, radiostrontium, etc.) with regards to Fukushima samples. The real applications of mass spectrometric techniques for radioactive source identification, radiation protection and geochemical tracing are discussed to highlight the importance of mass spectrometric techniques in radioactive contamination assessment after the accident. Future research prospects of mass spectrometric techniques for the analysis of radionuclides with application to Fukushima samples are briefly outlined.

Graphical abstract: The role of mass spectrometry in radioactive contamination assessment after the Fukushima nuclear accident

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Article information

https://doi.org/10.1039/C7JA00401J
Submitted
07 Dec 2017
Accepted
19 Feb 2018
First published
20 Feb 2018
J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2018,33, 519-546
Article type
Critical Review
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The role of mass spectrometry in radioactive contamination assessment after the Fukushima nuclear accident

W. Bu, Y. Ni, G. Steinhauser, W. Zheng, J. Zheng and N. Furuta, J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2018, 33, 519
DOI: 10.1039/C7JA00401J

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