Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 13, 2026
10:16
Autoradiography as a Simple and Powerful Method for Visualization and Characterization of Pharmacological Targets
Published on: March 12, 2019
Robust technique using an imaging plate to detect environmental radioactivity
Tomonori Isobe1, Yutaro Mori, Kenta Takada
1Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan. tiso@md.tsukuba.ac.jp
Health Physics
|February 27, 2013
Summary
Researchers developed a simple imaging plate (IP) method to detect environmental radioactive material. This technique effectively mapped soil contamination depth and building surface radioactivity following the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Nuclear Engineering
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake caused severe damage to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, leading to accidental radioactive material release.
- Quantifying environmental radioactive material is crucial for assessing contamination.
- Conventional measurement equipment is often complex and expensive.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a simple and cost-effective method for detecting environmental radioactive material using an imaging plate (IP).
- To assess the feasibility of IP-based measurements for environmental radioactivity.
- To apply the method to real-world scenarios, including soil and building surface contamination.
Main Methods:
- Development of a novel detection method utilizing an imaging plate (IP).
- Application of the IP detector for measuring the depth distribution of radioactive material in soil.
- Utilizing the IP detector to create a surface contamination map of a building roof.
Main Results:
- The study successfully demonstrated the feasibility of using an IP for environmental radioactivity measurement.
- Radioactive material concentration in soil was found to be highest at 5 cm below the surface, decreasing with depth.
- A detailed contamination map of a building roof was successfully generated.
Conclusions:
- The developed imaging plate (IP) method offers a simple and effective approach for detecting environmental radioactive material.
- The method is not influenced by peripheral radioactivity, unlike conventional survey meters.
- Future work will focus on evaluating absolute quantities of radioactive material using the IP method.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Imaging Studies II: Positron Emission Tomography and Scintigraphy
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a medical imaging technique that provides crucial insights into the body's physiological functions at a molecular level. It is an indispensable resource for diagnosing, staging, and monitoring various illnesses, notably cancer, neurological disorders, and cardiovascular conditions.
Fundamental Principles of PET
Fundamental Principles of PET
01:29Positron Emission Tomography
Positron emission tomography (PET) is a medical imaging technique involving radiopharmaceuticals — substances that emit short-lived radiation. Although the first PET scanner was introduced in 1961, it took 15 more years before radiopharmaceuticals were combined with the technique and revolutionized its potential.
One of the main requirements of a PET scan is a positron-emitting radioisotope, which is produced in a cyclotron and then attached to a substance used by the part of the body being...
One of the main requirements of a PET scan is a positron-emitting radioisotope, which is produced in a cyclotron and then attached to a substance used by the part of the body being...
03:31Labeling DNA Probes
DNA probes are fragments of DNA labeled with a reporter tag to enable their detection or purification. The resulting labeled DNA probes can then hybridize to target nucleic acid sequences through complementary base-pairing, and may be used to recover or identify these regions.
Radioisotopes, fluorophores, or small molecule binding partners like biotin or digoxigenin, are the most widely used reporter tags for labeling DNA probes. These labels can be attached to the probe DNA molecule via...
Radioisotopes, fluorophores, or small molecule binding partners like biotin or digoxigenin, are the most widely used reporter tags for labeling DNA probes. These labels can be attached to the probe DNA molecule via...
01:24X-ray Imaging
German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen (1845–1923) was experimenting with electrical current when he discovered that a mysterious and invisible "ray" would pass through his flesh but leave an outline of his bones on a screen coated with a metal compound. In 1895, Röntgen made the first durable record of the internal parts of a living human: an "X-ray" image (as it came to be called) of his wife’s hand. Scientists worldwide quickly began their own experiments with X-rays, and by 1900, X-ray was widely...