Fukushima fallout in Northwest German environmental media

Traces of short- and long-lived fallout isotopes ((131)I, (134)CS and (137)Cs) were found in environmental samples collected in Northwest Germany (rain water, river sediment, soil, grass and cow milk) from March to May 2011, following the radioactivity releases after the nuclear accident in Fukushima, Japan. The measured concentrations are consistent with reported concentrations in air, amount of rainfall and expected values applying simple radioecological models. The [(134)Cs]/[(137)Cs] ratio reported for air (about 1) allows for discrimination between recent and old (137)Cs. Expected (136)Cs values fell below the detection limits of the instrumentation, despite large sample masses and long counting times. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.