Publication Abstract

Chernobyl's legacy in food and water

J.T. Smith, R.N.J. Comans, N.A. Beresford, S.M. Wright and B.J.Howard

Radiocaesium 137Cs from the 1986 Chernobyl accident has persisted in freshwater fish in a Scandinavian lake for much longer than was expected. On the basis of new data generalizing this observation, we propose that the continuing mobility of 137Cs in the environment is due to the so-called "fixation" process of radiocaesium in the soil tending towards a reversible steady state. Our results enable the contamination of foodstuffs by Chernobyl fallout to be predicted over the coming decades. Restrictions in the United Kingdom, for example, may need to be retained for a further 10-15 years - more than 100 times longer than originally estimated.

Reference:

J.T. Smith, R.N.J. Comans, N.A. Beresford, S.M. Wright and B.J.Howard, 2000. Chernobyl's legacy in food and water. Nature, 405(6783): 141.