European Community Research Activities on Forest Ecosystems within the 4th Framework of the Nuclear Fission Safety Programme

After the Chernobyl accident, it has been obvious that agriculturally produced foods are not the only important food types which contribute to the radiation dose received by man. Especially the transfer of radionuclides to ‘wild food’ products (e.g. edible fungi, freshwater fish, game animals) is often much greater than that to agriculturally produced foodstuffs. In addition it has been recognised that these natural food products can contribute significantly to the internal dose. In addition, contamination of forest ecosystems may be sources for considerable external radiation doses to occupational or forestry workers, and to the public using forests for commercial, leisure or food collecting reasons.