A new study showed that the radioactivity of milk in some regions of Ukraine is five times higher than the maximum permissible levels.
Scientists from Greenpeace Research Laboratories at the University of Exeter and the Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology studied milk samples from private farmers in the Rivne region, about 200 kilometers from the famous 1986 Chernobyl explosion. They found a significant excess of radioactive cesium in milk, the safe limit of which in Ukraine is 100 becquerels per liter (Bq / L), in six out of fourteen settlements, and exceeding the limit for children of 40 Bq / L in eight localities.
The highest level of radioactivity was 500 Bq / L - five times the norm for adults, and more than 12 times for children.
“More than thirty years after the Chernobyl disaster, people are exposed to radioactive cesium every day by consuming local foods, including milk, in the Chernobyl-affected regions of Ukraine,” says Iryna Labunska of the Greenpeace Research Laboratory at the University of Exeter.
“In the area where we conducted our research, many keep cows for milk, and the main consumers of this milk are children. Although the soil contamination in the studied areas is not extreme, radioactive cesium is concentrated in milk and other food products, so the inhabitants of these villages are constantly exposed to radiation, which adversely affects the body, especially children.
The researchers point out that simple measures are needed to reduce the level of radiation in the area where 8,300 inhabitants live, specifically in the six villages with the highest pollution - for this it is enough to spend about 10 euros per year per person.
These measures include adding a cesium scavenger known as Ferrocyn to the cows, fertilizing potato fields, and feeding pigs with a contaminant-free feed.
The cost of implementing these measures will fall as the level of radioactivity decreases - but if measures are not taken, experts warn, then milk pollution will exceed 100 becquerel / liter in some regions of Ukraine until 2040.
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Dr. Labunska says: “The Ukrainian government took some measures earlier, but everything stopped in 2009. Government and international monitoring is needed, as well as assistance to radiation victims. This historical example shows how long the consequences of a nuclear accident can persist, having a harmful effect on the daily life of the population."
Vadim Tarabarko