Search Results
You are looking at 1 - 10 of 24 items for
- Author or Editor: H. Tsukada x
- Refine by Access: All Content x
Abstract
The concentrations of 137Cs and other essential and trace elements were determined in soils and in cabbage heads collected from 8 agricultural fields in Aomori Prefecture, Japan and the soil-to-plant transfer factors were determined. The 95% confidence intervals of the elements, excluding 137Cs, La and Ce, were within 2 orders of magnitude. The transfer factor of 137Cs was approximately 4 times higher than that of Cs, and they were well correlated. In addition, the distributions of elemental concentrations in different leaf positions of a cabbage plant were also determined and were divided into three groups according to their different distribution patterns in the leaf positions. These patterns were as follows: (1) the concentrations of the elements in older (outer) leaves were higher than in younger (inner) ones (Ca, Sr, etc.), (2) the concentrations of the element had a relatively constant value independent of their leaf position (K, Rb, etc.), and (3) the concentrations of the elements were higher in both the older and younger leaves compared to the leaves in the middle portion (Zn). The percentage distribution of the dry weight contents in the edible leaves of cabbage plants was 41% at harvest time, however each element had different distribution patterns.
Abstract
Soil-to-plant transfer factors of 31 stable elements were determined by neutron activation analysis. The transfer factor is one of the important parameters used to estimate the internal radiation dose from radionuclides through food ingestion. In the present study, 12 species of agricultural plants such as root crops, fruit vegetables, green vegetables and pasture grasses, and their soils were collected from 150 farm fields in Aomori prefecture, Japan. The elements described are those that could be detected by this method, which include both essential and nonessential elements for plant growth. The concentrations of individual elements in the cultivated soil samples for each plant were similar in values and their standard deviations were within one order of magnitude, because of the relatively narrow geographic sampling area. The elements were classified into two groups, each having different transfer factor characteristics. In the first group of elements there was an inverse correlation between the transfer factors and the concentrations of elements in the soil, especially for Cl, K and Ca. In the second group, especially Sc and Co, however, the transfer factors were independent of the concentrations of elements in the soil.
Abstract
Rice plants were grown in an experimental field and separated at harvest into different components, including polished rice, rice bran, hull, straw and root. The distribution of chlorine in these components was determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis. The concentration of chlorine in the roots was the highest (4800 mg·kg−1 dry wt.) and that in the polished rice was the lowest (140 mg·kg−1 dry wt.) among the plant components. The content of chlorine in the polished rice was about 2% of the entire plant, and the rest was present in the inedible portions; about 75% of the total chlorine content was in the straw. The percentage of chlorine removed from the surface soil layer to the above ground biomass of the rice plants was calculated as 5% every year. The chlorine concentrations in leaf blades of different positions collected from four growing stages varied by more than one order of magnitude, and were well correlated with the sum concentrations of major cations (potassium + calcium + magnesium). This may be attributed to the fact that the translocation rate of chlorine among the leaf blades with age depends on the concentrations of the major cations.
Abstract
The soil-to-grass transfer factors and grass-to-milk transfer coefficients were determined for 137Cs and stable Cs in soil, grass and milk samples collected in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. The concentrations of 137Cs in the soil and grass samples collected from 25 sampling sites were 13±12 Bq.kg-1 and 2.0±2.1 Bq.kg-1 dry wt., respectively. The geometric mean of soil-to-grass transfer factor of 137Cs was 0.13 and its 95% confidence interval was 0.017-0.98. The transfer factor of 137Cs was higher than that of stable Cs, and they had a positive correlation. The concentration of K in the soil affected both transfer factors. The concentration of 137Cs in milk samples collected from 16 sites was 76±43 mBq.kg-1 fresh wt. and had a good correlation with that of stable Cs. The geometric mean of grass-to-milk transfer coefficient of 137Cs was 0.0027, assuming that a cow's total daily intake was 20 kg of dry grass. The transfer coefficient of 137Cs was positively correlated with that of stable Cs.
Summary
The behavior rhenium in surface seawater (0-30 m) was studied using the samples collected at three locations off the coast of Aomori Prefecture, Japan. The physico-chemical forms of Re in seawater from other locations were also studied to verify the Aomori findings. It was found that almost 100% of Re was in dissolved forms, mainly ReO4 -, therefore, the Re concentration was constant from the surface to 30 m depth and ranged from 6.1-7.4 ng. kg-1. The Re concentration in the Sea of Japan side was slightly lower than those in the Pacific Ocean side. Possibly, low Re concentration was added by river waters from Japan and/or the Asian continent to the Sea of Japan side.
Abstract
Rice grain samples and surface paddy soil samples were collected from 20 sites throughout Aomori Prefecture, Japan, and the concentrations of 25 elements in the polished rice and 33 elements in the soils were determined by neutron activation analysis, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer or atomic adsorption spectrometer. The range of essential element concentrations in the polished rice was within one order of magnitude, however, the range for most of the trace elements was more than one order of magnitude. The range of element concentrations, except for I, in the paddy soils was within one order of magnitude. The ±95% confidence intervals of the soil-to-polished rice transfer factors for all elements, except for Pb, were within two orders of magnitude, and the geometric mean values were as follows: Cl, Mo and Zn (0.1–1); K, Cu, Cd, Rb, Mg, Mn, and Ag (0.01–0.1); Ni, As, Ca, Se and I (0.001–0.01); Na, Cs, Sr, Co, Cr, V, Ba, Pb, Fe and Al (<0.001).
Abstract
Use of an enriched isotope as an activable tracer is proposed for the preconcentration of trace elements in neutron activation analysis. As a test of this method, contents of cadmium in various biological standard samples were determined by addition of an enriched116Cd tracer in the preconcentration step followed by neutron irradiation and 
-ray spectrometry. The principle, advantage, and limitations of the method are also discussed.
Abstract
Use of an enriched156Dy isotope as an activable yield tracer for the determination of lanthanoid contents in various biological reference materials has been proposed. The method consists of preconcentration of the lanthanoid in the156Dy doped samples followed by neutron irradiation and further chemical purification steps. The chemical behaviour of lanthanoid elements in the whole procedure was found, in separate runs, similar to that of the added156Dy within experimental errors. Simple purification steps after irradiation allow the measurement of relatively short-lived nuclides and diminish the radiation dose received during the chemical treatment. The present results for orchard leaves (NBS SRM 1571) are generally in good agreement with the previously reported data. Some new data are obtained for other biological reference materials.
Summary
Major and trace elements in soil and plant samples, including standard reference materials were determined by means of neutron activation analysis (NAA) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The analytical procedure for NAA utilized dried powder samples. The concentration of iodine in soil samples was determined by radiochemical NAA. The irradiated samples were cooled and then counted with a Ge gamma-ray detector connected to a multi-channel analyzer. For ICP-MS analysis, the samples were decomposed by microwave digestion with an acid mixture. The concentration of I in the soil samples was measured by ICP-MS after separation by ignition. The analytical values for most elements in the environmental samples by both methods were in good agreement, whereas sample treatments were different. Measured value of Zr in the soil samples by ICP-MS was about 50% lower than that by NAA. It should be assumed that some minerals of Zr in soil particles were not entirely dissolved by the acid mixture. Analytical results of Cd for three different Cd levels in unpolished rice flour samples (NIES 10-a, b and c) determined by ICP-MS were in agreement with certified values. The concentration of Cd in the sample with the lowest Cd level, as determined by NAA with 57% counting error, was 3 times higher than the certified value.
Abstract
The improvement obtained by epithermal neutron activation analysis was studied in terms of the detection sensitivity and precision in the γ-ray spectrometry for geological and biological reference samples. For geological samples, small improvement was observed only for the elements As, Ba, Sb, Se and U. For biological samples, however, large improvement was observed for As, Br, Sb and U. The ratio of the resonance integral to the effective thermal-neutron capture cross section was observed for 19 nuclides. The effect of the (n, p) reaction to the determination of Al and Mg by the ordinary reaktor-neutron activation analysis was estimated.
