Detection of Radioactive Isotopes from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in the Kittitas Valley of Washington State

Authors

Randle Affholter, Central Washington University
Michael Braunstein, Central Washington University
Cesar Mendoza, Central Washington University
Anne Johansen, Central Washington UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Department or Administrative Unit

Chemistry

Publication Date

2-24-2012

Abstract

Following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster in March, 2011, various radioactive isotopes were emitted from the plant [Ewing, 2011]. We hypothesized that emissions would bind to particulate matter, which then could be dispersed by wind currents and deposited across the planet. We analyzed an aerosol sample collected with a high volume cascade impactor in the Kittitas Valley of Washington state. NaI(Tl) gamma spectrometry revealed the presence of the isotopes ¹³²Te and ¹³¹I, consistent with the type of nuclear accident at Fukushima Daiichi.

Comments

This article was originally published in International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities. The full-text article from the publisher can be found here.

Recommended Citation

Affholter, R., Braunstein, M., Mendoza, C. and Johansen, A., 2012. Detection of Radioactive Isotopes from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in the Kittitas Valley of Washington State. International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities, 3(1), p.1.

Journal

International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.