Derived intervention levels for radionuclides in food. Guidelines for application after widespread radioactive contamination resulting from a major radiation accident

After the nuclear accident at Chernobyl in 1986, many countries were affected by widespread radioactive contamination. It became clear that the available guidance on dealing with the consequences of a nuclear accident was in appropriate for the long term and for areas far removed from the accident site. A particular concern was the safety of radioactive contaminated food and drinking-water in the 'far field' region. The present guidelines, based on health protection principles, have been prepared by the World Health Organization in response to this concern. For various food categories, recommendations are made on levels of contamination by radionuclides at which corrective action might be justified to reduce the health risk to the population. The guidelines are based on accepted radiation dose criteria, on food consumption data from different parts of the world, and on dosimetric information for the relevant radionuclides. They are intended to assist in national decision-making in the event of another major nuclear accident. 1 fig., 14 tabs