A few days after the JCO criticality accident in Tokai-mura, a collaborating scientific investigation group was organized to evaluate the environmental impact of the accident. The group consisted of two groups: an environmental research group (radiochemistry group) and a biological research group. This paper overviews the scientific activity of the former group based on 6 sampling campaigns conducted at the JCO campus, Tokai-mura and Naka-machi. Some of the topical results and our remaining tasks concerning the JCO accident are discussed.