Ingestion doses in Finland due to (90)Sr, (134)Cs, and (137)Cs from nuclear weapons testing and the Chernobyl accident.

(90)Sr and (137)Cs in domestic foodstuffs and water have been analysed in Finland since the early 1960s, and (134)Cs since 1986. Using data on radionuclide deposition levels, agricultural production, and the processing and consumption of foodstuffs, the average intake and radiation dose from the ingestion of these radionuclides have been assessed. The estimated committed effective dose from the ingestion of (90)Sr, (137)Cs, and (134)Cs in food and water for the period 1960-2005 is 2.2 mSv, and for the period since the Chernobyl accident in 1986 it is 1.3 mSv.

Costs and practicability of clean feeding of dairy cattle during radioactive contamination of grasslands.

Both the farm-specific and regional costs of clean feeding as a countermeasure to reduce ingestion of contaminated grass when there is insufficient supply of other types of roughage were estimated for dairy farming in Finland in the first year after contamination. The cost estimation considered expenditures and revenues associated with milk production and were calculated using farm models developed for economic planning. A hypothetical contamination scenario was designed using RODOS models for atmospheric dispersion and transfer in terrestrial food chains. Costs for intervention after two similar hypothetical atmospheric dispersion and deposition scenarios in early June and in July were estimated. As a reference, the cost of complete replacement of fodder throughout the area was also calculated. Feed substitution costs were higher in June than in July, due to the availability of some harvested silage in the later scenario. In the first case, the additional costs of clean feeding amounted to one-fifth of the normal production costs. Effective advisory/support services, available to farmers, can substantially improve the implementation of countermeasures. However, high costs and insufficient sources of clean feed would restrict the use of clean feeding as the sole countermeasure after serious contamination during the growing season.

Finnish stakeholder engagement in the restoration of a radioactively contaminated food supply chain.

An expert group was established in 2001 representing various organisations and authorities responsible for primary production, food processing, the distribution and consumption of foodstuffs, food safety and availability, catering and extension services, nature conservation, research into environmental impacts, and the media. The aim was to strengthen networking and improve the stakeholder response to accidental radioactive contamination of rural areas through participation in the FARMING network project. A hypothetical contamination of a large milk-producing area provided a suitable framework for evaluation of actions ensuring clean feeding of dairy cows during grazing. The following year the group received a compilation of rural countermeasures and waste disposal methods, described by the STRATEGY project. The robust, uncomplicated approach of the evaluation meetings was fruitful and efficient, and the multidisciplinary group was capable of taking shared views on various measures after updating their knowledge together. High priority was given to measurements of radioactivity and the provision of information and advice to a wider audience.

Variation in stakeholder opinion on countermeasures across Europe.

A compendium of agricultural countermeasures and rural waste disposal options has been compiled as part of the EC STRATEGY (Sustainable Restoration and Long-Term Management of Contaminated Rural, Urban and Industrial Ecosystems) project. The compendium was discussed by the FARMING (Food and Agriculture Restoration Management Involving Networked Groups) network of stakeholders during meetings of national panels in the UK, Finland, Belgium, Greece and France in 2002. Their preliminary feedback has been summarised in terms of whether an option is generally acceptable, unacceptable or only acceptable under specific circumstances. A considerable divergence of opinion between national panels was apparent for many of the options considered. This could be attributed to differences in geomorphology, climate, land management, infrastructure, consumer confidence, sociopolitical context and culture. Where consensus was reached between stakeholders it was generally for those countermeasures that provide public reassurance, sustain farming practices and minimise environmental impact. Furthermore, whilst there was general agreement that contaminated food should not enter the food chain, many of the options proposed for its subsequent management were not generally acceptable to stakeholders.

Radionuclide migration in forest ecosystems--results of a model validation study.

The primary objective of the IAEA's BIOMASS Forest Working Group (FWG) was to bring together experimental radioecologists and modellers to facilitate the exchange of information which could be used to improve our ability to understand and forecast radionuclide transfers within forests. This paper describes a blind model validation exercise which was conducted by the FWG to test nine models which members of the group had developed in response to the need to predict the fate of radiocaesium in forests in Europe after the Chernobyl accident. The outcomes and conclusions of this exercise are summarised. It was concluded that, as a group, the models are capable of providing an envelope of predictions which can be expected to enclose experimental data for radiocaesium contamination in forests over the time scale tested. However, the models are subject to varying degrees of conceptual uncertainty which gives rise to a very high degree of divergence between individual model predictions, particularly when forecasting edible mushroom contamination. Furthermore, the forecasting capability of the models over future decades currently remains untested.

Achievements, difficulties and future challenges for the FARMING network.

The EC FARMING network (Food and Agriculture Restoration Management Involving Networked Groups) was set up to bring together the many and diverse stakeholders who would be involved in intervention following wide scale radioactive contamination of the food chain, so that acceptable strategies can be developed for maintaining agricultural production and safe food supply. The network comprises stakeholder panels in the UK, Finland, Belgium, France and Greece that have met regularly since 2001 to debate, discuss and exchange opinion on the acceptability, constraints and impact of various countermeasure options and strategies. The objectives of this paper are to consolidate the main achievements of the FARMING project over the period 2000-2004, to highlight the various difficulties that were encountered and to discuss the challenges for engaging stakeholders in off-site emergency management and long-term rehabilitation in the future.

The transfer of cesium-137 and strontium-90 from soil to food crops after the Chernobyl accident.

The soil to plant transfer of 137Cs and 90Sr was studied at seven locations in Finland over 4 and 2 years, respectively. The plant/soil concentration ratio of 137Cs for field crops in the southern area (60 degrees-63 degrees N) ranged from 0.001 to 0.26 and in the northern area (64 degrees-67 degrees N) from 0.01 to 2.29, and that of 90 Sr in the whole area from 0.02 to 2.44. The mean concentration ratio of 90Sr was about nine times higher than that of 137Cs in the southern area. The concentration ratio of 137Cs for leaf vegetables fluctuated between years, and that for carrot, potato and especially cereals decreased gradually after the first year. In the fourth year, the mean concentration ratio of 137Cs in the southern area was about 60% of the first year value for coarse mineral soils and 80% of that for clay and silt soils. There was no difference in the average 90Sr ratios between the 2 years studied. The concentration ratio of 137Cs was lower for clay and silt soils than for coarse mineral soils, and the 90Sr ratio was lowest for organic soils. The concentration ratio of 137Cs for vegetables and grain decreased in the order: lettuce, cabbage > carrot, potato > cereals, onion; for fruits in the order: blackcurrant > strawberry > apple, and the concentration ratio of 90Sr decreased in the order: lettuce, cabbage > carrot, onion > cereals > potato.

Effect of fertilisation on the potassium and radiocaesium distribution in tree stands (Pinus sylvestris L.) and peat on a pine mire.

This paper compares the effects of single and repeated fertilisation on the contents of potassium, 134Cs and 137Cs in different Scots pine compartments at different levels above ground and in the peat profile 9 years after the Chernobyl disaster. The material was collected from a ditch spacing and fertilisation experiment in Finland. Above a needle potassium concentration of 3.0 mg g(-1) in composed crown samples, 137Cs and 134Cs concentrations remained at about the same level but below that the values were higher on average. This potassium value corresponded to the potassium concentrations of 3.5-3.6 mg g(-1) in the current-year needles of two topmost whorls. The result indicates an enhanced radiocaesium uptake by pine trees under severe potassium deficiency. Fertilisation with potassium-containing fertilisers decreased the caesium uptake considerably. The inhibiting effect of fertilisation on caesium uptake by trees seemed to be fairly long lasting. Fertilisation had sped up the penetration of caesium downwards in the peat profile and its moving out of the active circulation of elements between soil and plants.

Peer reviewed: environmental models undergo international test.

The science and art of exposure assessment modeling were tested using real-world data from the Chernobyl accident.