Filipino chemist Dr. Angel T. Bautista VII has been recognized by the Japanese government for his research on a project seeking to assess the radioactive contamination from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident to the Philippines by looking at Iodine-129 content in coral cores along the country’s northeastern coast.

DOST Secretary Fortunato “Boy” T. de la Peña said Bautista, who heads the DOST-PNRI’s Nuclear Materials Research Section, emerged as Excellent Researcher of Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia (FNCA) Breakthrough Prize 2021.

This year's FNCA Breakthrough Prize was conferred by the Cabinet Office of the Japanese government on Dec. 9.

“He was recognized for his research on the DOST-PCAARRD (Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development) funded project, “Screening for radionuclide contamination from the Fukushima accident by Iodine-129 measurement in corals from the Philippines”,” de la Peña said in a taped report on Dec. 17.

He said Bautista and his team looked at the contamination levels, geographical extent, and the impact or threats of the radioactive contamination to the population by probing the 129I in Philippine corals

Coral samples were collected in Cagayan, Aurora, and Camarines Norte, he said.

“Results showed that 129I was transported to the Philippines through the Kuroshio recirculation gyre in mid-2014, 3.5 years after the accident and levels indicated no threats to human health,” de la Peña said.

He cited that by analyzing the coral cores using a novel method through the 3D X-ray Computed Tomography in Industrial Technology Development Institute’s (ITDI) Advanced Device and Materials Testing Laboratory (ADMATEL), Dr. Bautista and his team were successful in reconstructing past variations in sea surface temperature with a monthly accuracy of about 97 percent.

"This suggests the importance of conducting similar studies to increase our awareness of how activities of countries in the region affect neighboring countries. Data from these activities are relevant inputs towards the development of policies and management approaches within individual countries and in the region.”

Led by Japan, FNCA is a cooperation framework for peaceful use of nuclear technology in Asia.

The cooperation consists of FNCA meetings and the project activities with the participation of Australia, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

The DOST said the FNCA currently has 7 major project themes. These include mutation breeding, radiation processing, radiation oncology, radiation safety, research reactor utilization, nuclear security, and climate change.

Bautista serves as the FNCA’s national project coordinator for the Philippines in the area of climate change.