Artificial environmental radionuclides in Europe and methods of lowering their foodstuff contamination – a review

Abstract

This review discusses the consequences of the food chain contamination with radionuclides, especially focusing on the radiocaesium impact after the Chernobyl nuclear accident. In particular, the 137 Cs isotope still represents a risk. Until present it is still detectable in the meat of game animals, especially in wild boar, but also in elk and reindeer. Although the occurrence of highly contaminated foods in most of Europe is currently limited, along the German-Czech border (the Šumava Region) the activity concentration of the 137 Cs isotope in the meat of wild boar exceeds the acceptable limit several times. Additionally, the article describes simple processing technologies (cooking, pickling etc.) that lead to reduction of radionuclides in contaminated food.

Radiocaesium Contamination of Mushrooms at High- and Low-Level Chernobyl Exposure Sites and Its Consequences for Public Health

“…Wild fungi and their fruiting bodies-so-called mushrooms-tend to accumulate radiocaesium that represents a problematic environmental issue particularly due to a relatively long half-life, emission of gamma radiation and high risk of incorporation into living organisms [1][2][3][4]. This effect has already been examined closely over decades after pollution events [2,5]. Due to the impact of nuclear weapon tests, the Chernobyl accident in 1986 [4,6,7] and the Fukushima accident in 2011 [8], soils around the globe are contaminated by radiocaesium [9].…”

137Cs activity concentration in mushrooms from the Bobrůvka river valley

“…Despite the fact that more time than the physical half-life of 137 Cs (30.17 years) has elapsed since the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident (26 April 1986), there are still geographical areas with long-term persistent contamination (Smith and Beresford, 2005;Beňová et al, 2016).…”

Contamination of Slovak Bilberry (Vaccinium Myrtillus L.) with Radiocaesium 137Cs in Selected Slovak Locations

“…The collection and consumption of bilberry plants and fruits are very popular in Slovakia which stimulated our interest in their health safety [2]. Bilberry bushes are capable of accumulating radiocaesium [5] and due to their spreading over large areas and easy identification and sampling they are considered as a bioindicator plant [24].…”