Systematic radiological survey distinguishing contaminated from non-contaminated agricultural areas in the Korma district

The results of soil measurements justify the conclusion that the population of the CIS resident in areas heavily affected by the fallout from the Chernobyl reactor accident returned to normal life, neglecting or refusing to accept precautionary practice in land use or other restrictions recommended for radiological protection. One factor is the time elapsed since the accident happened, another is the succession of generations. Those who then were young children now are the mothers and fathers of the third post-accident generation, and their anyhow weak awareness of the persisting radiological danger has fallen into oblivion. This may serve as an explanation of the fact that there is an extremely strong increase in the body doses measured in children of pre-school age. Further major factors are the poor agricultural situation and the resulting nutritional problems, forcing people to increasingly live on the fruit of the forest. This is clearly reflected in the increased internal radiation doses measured, while the external doses are decreasing with continuing vertical migration of radionuclides. Increasing internal accumulation of cesium in the population as a dominant contribution to total body doses was revealed by the measuring campaign, extending to the population of villages farther off the forests. (orig./CB)