- 著者
- Yasutaka Omori Hiroaki Wakamatsu Atsuyuki Sorimachi Tetsuo Ishikawa
- 出版者
- 福島医学会
- 雑誌
- FUKUSHIMA JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:00162590)
- 巻号頁・発行日
- vol.62, no.1, pp.1-17, 2016 (Released:2016-06-08)
- 参考文献数
- 49
- 被引用文献数
- 1 14
This study was conducted on the Fukushima Medical University (FMU) premises (in Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture) about four years after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. Its objectives were (1) to create a map of the ambient gamma dose rate (air-kerma rate) distribution, (2) to evaluate the air-kerma rate originating from natural radionuclides, and (3) to investigate the effects of snow cover on changes in the air-kerma rate. This man-borne survey revealed that the air-kerma rate varies widely, ranging from 0.038 μGy h-1 to 0.520 μGy h-1, and is higher on grass than on the other investigated surface types, such as soil, asphalt, and bricks. In this area, the mean air-kerma rate from natural radiation was evaluated to be 0.03 ± 0.01 μGy h-1, which is close to 0.04 μGy h-1, which was measured in central Fukushima City by a local authority.Furthermore, snowfall was found to reduce the air-kerma rate by 5%-30%. This reduction was attributed to attenuation of the primary radiation while passing through the snow cover, and the measured contribution of scattered radiation to the air-kerma rate reduction was small. The reduction rate was found to depend on the initial snow depth but to maintain a similar value for a couple of days, after the snow had partially melted and its depth had decreased. Finally, analysis of the daily dose due to external exposure received on the FMU premises revealed that no further health effects due to chronic radiation exposure at this site are to be expected.