Radioactiva contamination of food in the USSR, sampled in regions contaminated by the Chernobyl disaster, and of radioactive exposure in these regions (Cs-137 and K-40 in food)

From 21.10.1990 to 01.11.1990 a Netherlands humanitarian fact finding mission on aid to people affected by the Chernobyl disaster visited the USSR. The Netherlands Government reacted positively to a request trom the USSR tor such aid and the alm of the mission was to gather facts tor a useful aid program. To this end authorities in Moscow, but also in the contaminated regions in the RSFSR, BSSR and UkSSR were visited. Local people were interviewed, and food products were sampled for radioactivity measurements in The Netherlands. The mission focused on three items: - medica! aspects - socio-psychological aspects - agricultural/ food aspects. This report deals with the results of radioactivlty measurements on food products, sampled in the contaminated areas of the RSFSR, BSSR and UkSSR and discusses the radiation burden due to these products for the Soviet citizens. The results of exposure measurements, performed in the contaminated areas, are also presented.