Dr. Satoshi Mori of Tokyo University has a radioautograph of Japanese cypress leaves that he took from Iitate-mura in Fukushima Prefecture last year in his blog. He says he cannot help feeling pity for the tree:

This picture of Japanese cypress cultivated in Komiya District of Iitate-murawas was taken in the fall of last year. I also took the leaves and female cones at the height I was able to reach.

I’ve already reported part of the study [of this cypress] in this blog. (http://moribin.blog114.fc2.com/blog-entry-1339.html)

今回はその後の追加情報としてヒノキの各組織が含有する放射線の数値ばかりでなく葉のラジオオートグラフ像を示したい。

Today, I want to show you the radiation measurements of parts of the cypress tree and the radioautograph of the leaves.

In the simplified measurement [using NaI scintillation survey meter], the seeds were found with about 10,000 Bq/kg of cesium-137, as you see in the Table below. Cesium-134 must be about 70% of this amount, so the total cesium would be at least 17,000 Bq/kg. It is about one-seventh of the radioactivity of the leaves. When the female fruits are attached to the leaf-stems (rachis) the seeds remain inside the fruits, and there should be no external radiation exposure from radioactive dusts. So, I assume almost all the radioactivity in the seeds was translocated from the leaves and tree barks that were contaminated with radioactive cesium.

 

表１　ヒノキの成分の放射能

ヒノキ Japanese Cypress	Cs-137 (Ｂｑ／ｋｇ)
種子 seeds	10709
雌果の殻 female cone shells	37639
葉 leaves	74610
葉の軸 rachis	166093

それにしても写真４のように葉を押し葉にしてラジオオートグラフを撮ってみて、我ながら、葉や葉の軸にまんべんなく放射能でまぶされているヒノキに、同情を禁じ得なかった。 この被爆イメージは数値情報だけでは決してわからない。

Still, as I pressed the leaves and took the radioautograph, I couldn’t help feeling pity for the Japanese cypress that was doused everywhere on the leaves and rachis with radioactivity. This image of irradiation may speak more volumes than the mere numerical information.

この種子は、本来ならば、雌果からはじけ飛んで、地上で、種子自らが抱え込んだ放射能による内部被爆と、このあたりの環境放射能（数マイクロシーベルト／ｈｒ）による外部被爆で、自らの胚芽の染色体を傷つけながら、発芽期を迎えて、細胞分裂を行うはずであったわけである。

These seeds would have popped out of the female fruits, landed on the ground, and damaging the chromosomes of their embryo buds from internal radiation exposure and the external radiation exposure from the environment (several microsieverts/hour) they would have entered the germinating period and started cell division.

生物学研究者ならば、染色体障害による発芽阻害、たとえ発芽してもその後の形態の奇形化などを想像するのが当たり前だろう。動物で云えば、流産、死産、奇 形、免疫低下の虚弱体質等々である。チェリノブイリでは多くの奇形化した枝葉が見いだされていることはすでに上記のブログで報告しておいた。

Any biology researcher would think about inhibition of germination due to chromosome disorders, or malformation even if they germinate. If it were animals, they would be the equivalent of miscarriage, stillbirth, malformation, weak constitution due to immune depression. I’ve already reported on the numerous cases of malformed branches and leaves in Chernobyl.

写真５　ＢＡＳで撮影したラジオオートグラフ。全身が放射性降下物（フォールアウト）でまんべんなくまぶされて被爆していることがわかる。

The radioautograph shows the leaves uniformly sprinkled with radioactive fallout and irradiated.

I asked Dr. Mori about specific example of chromosome disorders. He said there are many types of chromosome disorders, including the following:

• Normal structures (roots, stems, leaves) may not form because cell division is interrupted and cells become callused.
• Chloroplast may not form in the leaves, and the plant cannot do photosynthesis (no carbon dioxide assimilation); or mitochondria is not formed, and the plant cannot breathe (no oxygen absorption). In either case, the plant will die.
• Even if the plant survives, it cannot leave offspring if there is a formation disorder of pollens or ova.

 

Tags: Environment, Fukushima, Global News, Health, Japan, Nuclear, Nuclear reactors, Radiation, Satoshi Mori, Trees