Radiocesium concentrations in wild mushrooms collected in Kawauchi Village after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

• Main Authors: Kanami Nakashima, Makiko Orita, Naoko Fukuda, Yasuyuki Taira, Naomi Hayashida, Naoki Matsuda, Noboru Takamura
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: PeerJ Inc. 2015-11-01
• Series: PeerJ
• Subjects: Fukushima; Mushroom; Chernobyl; Radiocesium; Radionuclides
• Online Access: https://peerj.com/articles/1427.pdf

It is well known from the experience after the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant that radiocesium tends to concentrate in wild mushrooms. In this study, we collected wild mushrooms from the Kawauchi Village of Fukushima Prefecture, located within 30 km of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, and evaluated their radiocesium concentrations to estimate the risk of internal radiation exposure in local residents. We found that radioactive cesium exceeding 100 Bq/kg was detected in 125 of 154 mushrooms (81.2%). We calculated committed effective doses based on 6,278 g per year (age > 20 years, 17.2 g/day), the average intake of Japanese citizens, ranging from doses of 0.11–1.60 mSv, respectively. Although committed effective doses are limited even if residents eat contaminated foods several times, we believe that comprehensive risk-communication based on the results of the radiocesium measurements of food, water, and soil is necessary for the recovery of Fukushima after this nuclear disaster.