Chernobyl radioactivity persists in reindeer

摘要

Transfer of ~(137)Cs in the soil—plant/lichen—reindeer food chain was studied in central (Ostre Namdal) and southern Norway (Vaga) during 2000—2003. Reindeer from these areas have been continuously subjected to countermeasure application since the 1986 Chernobyl accident. In both areas no decline in ~(137)Cs concentrations was detectable in reindeer slaughtered in autumn since 1995, or in reindeer slaughtered in winter since 1998—1999. Seasonal differences in ~(137)Cs concentrations in reindeer have been less pronounced in recent years, with ~(137)Cs concentrations occasionally higher in autumn than in winter. Soil-to-plant ~(137)Cs transfer was significantly higher in Ostre Namdal than in Vaga. Climatic influences on lichen growth and abundance, and on soil properties that influence the availability of ~(137)Cs for plant uptake, are hypothesized to have a larger impact on long-term transfer of radiocaesium in the soil—plant/lichen—reindeer food chain than has been previously observed.