Radiation effects in reindeer

A considerable part of the Swedish and Norwegian areas used for reindeer herding was contaminated by radioactivity from the accident on April 26, 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Both winter and summer grazing areas were affected, mainly by radiocesium. Limited areas in the Swedish mountain region were found to be contaminated by more than 80 kBq/m2of 137Cs, but generally 40 to 60 kBq/m2 were found. The levels of 137Cs in lichens growing in such areas were up to 120 kBq/kg dry matter (Eriksson et al., 1987) but generally the levels were lower, around 30 kBq/kg d.m. Regular sampling of reindeer meat in the first year after the accident (NFA 1987) confirmed the seasonal variation observed earlier in radiocesium content of the muscular tissue (Linden &£ Gustafsson 1967)