Response of the European Communities to environmental contamination following the Chernobyl accident

Soon after the Chernobyl accident the Council of Ministers and the Commission of the European Communities had to act urgently to set foodstuff intervention levels to avoid major trade conflicts between Member States. By 12 May 1986, imports into the European Community (EC) of a range of agricultural products originating in certain east European countries had been suspended until the end of that month. Subsequently maximum permitted total caesium level applicable to food imported into the EC were adopted: 370 Bq/kg for milk and infant food and 600 Bq/kg for other foodstuffs. These values are still valid. Moreover, to cope with future nuclear accidents the EC has adopted maximum permitted levels for four categories of radionuclides in baby food, dairy produce, liquid foodstuffs and other major foodstuffs. Also a list of minor foodstuffs has been established for which the levels applied will be 10 times those for other major foodstuffs. For animal feedingstuffs maximum permissible contamination levels have still to be adopted. However the necessary scientific data have already been collected. Other measures taken at the EC level are: (1) arrangements for the early exchange of information among Member States in the event of a radiological emergency; these complement the International Atomic Energy Agency Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident; (2) prohibition of the export of contaminated foodstuffs exceeding the EC maximum permitted levels; (3) revision of the 1985-1989 radiation protection research programme to include areas of further research for which the Chernobyl accident indicated a need; (4) proposal to the Council of Ministers of a regulation concerning the information to be given to the public regarding nuclear accidents. (author). 17 refs, 11 tabs