Both elements can be fission products of U. Diffraction spots were observed in the SAED pattern from the particle, indicating that it is crystalline but the phase could not be identified. These sulfide and telluride were probably segregated and crystallized in the microparticles at the molten state. The circular contrasts outside the nanoparticles in the BF image are radiation damage in glass formed by the electron probe for chemical analyses. Previous studies suggested that Fe, Mo, Sn and Zn in the Cs-bearing microparticles had a similar X-ray absorption near-edge structure to those composed of glass 8 , however the presence of Si in the microparticles has not been verified 7 , 8.
It is probable that the high-temperature melt-down fuel from the reactor came into contact with and melted the concrete, and then splashed microparticles of silicate melt, which were solidified by cooling to form silicate glass in the atmosphere. However, there are several questions with respect to the selection of the constituting elements in the glass from various ones in the reactor. For instance, Ca which is one of the major elements in concrete, was almost absent in the microparticles of NWC Since TEM observed only a small portion of the microparticles, by making them thin using FIB, there may have been other elements in the microparticles, for instance, as a form of chalcogenide nanoparticle.
The next important finding is the alkali-depleted crust in CB-8 microparticle. This is probably the result of elution of alkali ions by contact with acidic solution in the field, commonly observed in silicate glass On the other hand, such alkali-depleted crust was not observed in NWC This may be attributed to the different environments of the two microparticles after release from the nuclear plant.
Sulfate aerosol as a potential transport medium of radiocesium from the Fukushima Nuclear accident. Cross-sectional thin TEM specimens were prepared from radioactive microparticles using a focused ion beam FIB instrument with micro-sampling system Hitachi FB as described in the supplementary information. Set up a giveaway. English Choose a language for shopping. Cato Unbound Book There's a problem loading this menu right now. Not Enabled Word Wise:
NWC-1 was on non-woven cloth and CB-8 on a cedar leaf before it was collected. It is well-known that silicate glass elutes alkali components from their surface by ion-exchange with proton or hydronium ions to form an alkali-leaching layer on the surface if pH of reacting solution is low, whereas the silicate framework of the glass itself is dissolved with high-pH solution 13 , Coniferous forest canopy induces acidic condition due to ammonia uptake, nitrification and leaching of plant-derived acid It was likely that CB-8 deposited on the cedar leaf had been in acidic conditions, which derives alkali depletion in the crust, for eight months.
In order to investigate the dissolution rate and detailed Cs-leaching properties of the Cs-bearing radioactive microparticles, a leaching experiment should be conducted as a function of temperature and pH. However, collecting and isolating the Cs-bearing microparticles is time-consuming and it is difficult to obtain a large enough number of Cs-bearing microparticles to investigate dissolution properties.
Alternatively, synthesized silicate glass with the same composition as the microparticles presented in this study may help to obtain information on the fate of Cs-bearing radioactive microparticles. However, in our preliminary experiment, we were unable to make uniform glass with the same composition at present.
This is probably due to the liquid immiscibility at the composition. A solution to this problem is now being considered. There are mainly two types of solid-phase radiocesium in the terrestrial environment affected by FDNPP accident; that fixed to clay minerals in the soil via wet deposition and that contained in the microparticles of silicate glass flown directly from the nuclear reactors. The radioactivity of the former is rather in low-density but distributed widely, therefore it is a major source of external radiation from ground.
Part of the radiocesium adsorbed on the soil clay is desorbed and transferred to crops thereby causing internal radiation.
On the other hand, contribution of the microparticles to the air radiation is most likely not significant, but their radiation density is very high, which is particularly problematic for organisms including humans if the microparticles are inhaled or ingested. The plant availability of radiocesium in the microparticles should depend on its solubility. Consequently, further research on this material should be carried out as soon as possible. Detailed methods to identify the Cs-bearing microparticles are described in the supplementary information. Cross-sectional thin TEM specimens were prepared from radioactive microparticles using a focused ion beam FIB instrument with micro-sampling system Hitachi FB as described in the supplementary information.
How to cite this article: Internal structure of cesium-bearing radioactive microparticles released from Fukushima nuclear power plant.
The authors wish to thank Dr. Kobayashi for providing the Japanese cedar samples, Ms.
Fujii for preparing TEM specimens, Dr. Clive Langham for English edition, and Dr. Igarashi for comments on the manuscript. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Published online Feb 3. Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Disclaimer. Please try again later. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. A very well discussed topic concerning inherent individual rights and the history of their origin.
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