Detection of Fukushima plume within regular Slovenian environmental radioactivity surveillance

• I-131 in Cs-137 activities after Fukushima in Chernoby accident were compared.
• After both accidents the radioactive plume showed similar time behaviour.
• After Fukusima accident Pu and Am activity concentrations in filters were analysed.
• With regular monitoring programmes tracking of global contamination is possible.

After the Fukushima accident aerosol and rain water samples collected within regular national monitoring programmes were carefully analysed. In rain water samples, aerosol and iodine filters collected in the second half of March and in April 2011 I-131, Cs-134 and Cs-137 were detected. In May 2011 the activities of I-131 and Cs-134 were close or below the detection limit and Cs-137 reached values from the period before the Fukushima accident. Additionally plutonium and americium activity concentrations in aerosol filters were analysed. These measured data were compared with measured data after the Chernobyl contamination in Slovenia in 1986. We can conclude that with adequate regular monitoring programmes influences of radioactivity contamination due to nuclear accidents worldwide can be properly assessed.