EAPSI: Using Bioindicators as a Technique for Evaluating 137Cs Contamination in Fukushima Prefecture

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On 11 March 2011, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant experienced a meltdown due to a large earthquake. What followed was a release of radioactive material to the surrounding area, leading to thousands of displaced citizens and unusable farmland. This research will use plants as a technique for showing the danger of radiation and serve as a means for restoring uninhabitable land. The research will be conducted with Dr. Kosuke Noborio, an expert in the field of Agriculture. The collaboration provides on-site sampling in Iitate Village, laboratory access at Meji University, and the opportunity to work with fellow graduate students of Dr. Noborio. The long-term objective of this project is to use plants as bioindicators to evaluate ecological health of 137Cs contaminated areas while retroactively collecting samples for analyzing the plant species as potential sources for phytoremediation trials. The aim of this research is to support this objective with a systematic approach, in which areas contaminated and uncontaminated with 137Cs are chosen to serve as sample and control groups. Plant growth will be monitored to establish side effects of 137Cs uptake and how varied concentrations of contamination affect plant physical appearance. While the bioindicators are being studied, samples from the plants will be collected for measuring the amount of 137Cs uptake to indicate whether phytoremediation will be an applicable technique.This award, under the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program, supports summer research by a U.S. graduate student and is jointly funded by NSF and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.