The impact of the Chernobyl nuclear accident on two regions of Spain compared

Fundamentally 18 radioactive isotopes were observed to be present in the atmosphere of the Spanish Mediterranean area due to the Chernobyl nuclear accident. A study of the levels of contamination reached at different critical links of the trophic chain, in the regions of Valencia and Extremadura which are situated at roughly the same latitude 350 km appart is presented. In particular, global measurements of radioactivity using Geiger-Mueller counters, of beta activity using proportional counters, and gamma spectrometry of air, soil, grass, and milk samples were carried out. Another pathway by which radioactive contamination affected Spain, apart from passage of the cloud with its subsequent effects, was the arrival of migratory birds from contaminated zones of Europe. This paper reports on a study of Cs-134 and Cs-137 levels for 12 distinct migratory bird species that winter in the Valencia and Extremadura regions. Lastly, from the detected contamination levels, the received dose in the human population, principally by inhalation and ingestion, was estimated