Radioactive impact of the Fukushima nuclear accident on Shenyang in the northeast of China

Environmental monitoring was carried out in Shenyang in the northeast of China after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident which was caused by the earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011. The fission product radionuclide 131I was detected as present in the atmosphere on the 20th day after the nuclear accident, while the radionuclides 134Cs and 137Cs were found in the atmosphere on the 27th day after the accident. The radionuclides 131I, 134Cs and 137Cs continued to be present in the atmosphere for 25, 4 and 6 days, respectively, with maximum concentrations of 4.60 ± 0.2, 0.29 ± 0.06 and 0.42 ± 0.08 mBq m−3. The contents of fission radionuclides in vegetables, drinking water and milk from Shenyang were below the detection limits. The atmosphere was slightly contaminated in Shenyang due to the Fukushima nuclear accident, but no contamination was detected in vegetables, milk and drinking water.