Radioactive contamination survey for 12 years in Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan

Abstract

The Fukushima nuclear disaster on March 11, 2011, has been reported to the IAEA and has been dealt with professionally. On the other hand, airborne monitoring was conducted in September 2011 for wide-area air dose rate surveys. As a result, Kashiwa City in Chiba Prefecture, which is about $200 \mathrm{km}$ away, was designated as an "intensive contamination survey area." Localized radioactive contaminations (hotspots) were often found and reported by residents there. The present study is a report of 2011 and 2012 dose rate measurements and 12 years of fixed-point monitoring at hotspots in Kashiwa City. A typical hotspot was a gutter and similar place where a large amount of rainwater was concentrated. The intensity distribution and time dependence of the dose rate at hotspots were measured. The dose rate over 12 years by fixed-point measurements agreed well with the sum of the radioactive decay characteristics of $^{131}\mathrm{I}$, $^{134}\mathrm{C_s}$, and $^{137}\mathrm{C_s}$. Decontamination in the living environment was conducted by sharing information between residents and the local government. It was effective to reduce the dose rate significantly by removing the sediment in the gutter and similar place. It is important to find hotspots in the living environments and decontaminate them intensively to reduce the risk of radiation injury to young children.