Spatial Variation of Estimated 137Cs Intakes in Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic After the Chernobyl Accident and Comparison with Whole Body Measurement

Full text: This work has been performed as part of the EC project SAVEC (Spatial Analysis of Vulnerable Areas in Central Europe) under DGXII, expanding the EC project SAVE (Spatial Analysis of Vulnerable Ecosystems in Europe) under DGXI. The scope of this work was to collect data on 137Cs contamination of foodstuffs after the Chernobyl accident and dietary habits varying according to district, age, gender and profession across the three Central-European countries. The spatial variation in 137Cs intake from contaminated foodstuffs could thus be estimated. Dietary data from Poland, based on household budget surveys, are broken down according to region, country, age, gender and socio-economic status. Data from Hungary, based on household budget surveys, are broken down according to region, age and gender. Data from the Czech Republic, based on national consumption statistics, are only available at a national scale and according to age. The regional variation in estimated 137Cs intake after a fallout event is presented in GIS maps, pointing out the regions most at risk due to dietary habits in Poland and Hungary. For Poland, the groups most at risk according to socio-economic status are also presented. Whole body measurements of 137Cs were performed by whole body counting and 24-hour urine samples. Intakes calculated from whole body measurements are compared to intakes estimated from consumption/contamination data. The two methods show some discrepancies. Reasons for this are discussed and include: dietary data collection, consumption development, wild foodstuffs consumption and gaps in post-Chernobyl food contamination data. (author)