Fukushima Contaminated Water Risk Factor: Global Implications

作者：Yi Liu, Yilin Li, Yan-Tao Min, Shengli Chen, Wu Yang, Jintao Gu, Wei‐Jie Feng, Yihong Li, Chaopeng Hong, Jinqiu Du, Sun-Wei Li, Binbin Li, Yutao Guo, Jianmin Zhang, Zhen Hu · 发表于：Environmental Science & Technology · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1021/acs.est.4c08145 · 被引用次数：40 · 研究领域：Radioactive contamination and transfer、Nuclear and radioactivity studies、Risk Perception and Management

The discharge of Fukushima radioactively contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean started in August 2023, posing comprehensive threats to marine ecosystems and human health globally. This study introduces the Fukushima Contaminated Water Risk Factor (FCWRF), which integrates three components─radionuclide diffusion, bioaccumulation, and global seafood trade─to evaluate the spatiotemporal distribution of risks based on actual discharge practices. Results suggest that comprehensive risks exceeding 2 orders of magnitude beyond the baseline will be transferred to six continents globally. Furthermore, the spread of such risks is projected to be six times faster than radionuclide diffusion. In the simulation, the results illustrated a small increase in radionuclide activity occurring in most regions of the Pacific Ocean. Nevertheless, the dimensionless FCWRF based on a novel integrated framework bridges the barriers among different fields in the risk assessment of radionuclides, thereby underpinning timely and effective responses from the global community.