Monitoring of radioactive substances in foodstuffs in Finland
Abstract | The main focus of the foodstuffs monitoring programme of STUK is to obtain information about the intake of radionuclides through ingestion for the purpose of estimating internal doses. Monitoring is carried out for 1) dairy milk, 2) foodstuffs on the market and 3) one day diet by analysing whole mixed diet samples obtained from institutional kitchens of large hospitals (all meals with bread and drinks consumed during one day are included in the samples). Monitoring of foodstuffs on the market covers meat, fish, vegetables, fungi and wild berries. For milk and one day diet samples 137Cs and 90Sr are determined, while foodstuffs on the market are analysed only for 137Cs . Milk contents for 137Cs are now (2012) nearly at the same level as before the Chernobyl accident. The concentrations of 137Cs and 90Sr in the daily diet are low, because the agricultural products used as raw material are nearly free of artificial radionuclides. The 137Cs contents in foodstuffs from food shops approximate to the results from the diet samples considering the reduction of radiocaesium in cooking, and the minor proportion of wild foods in diets of institutional kitchens. | |
STAR partner | STUK | |
Type of data | Monitoring | |
Sample number | >1000 | |
Quality | Data have been collected as a part of STUK’s environmental monitoring program since 1986. Since 1999, radioactivity determinations have been carried out using an accredited method with regular quality control through intercomparisons, calibrations and blank samples. Prior to 1999, in-house quality evaluation took place with similar quality assessments. | |
Spatially referenced | No | |
Ecosystem type | Terrestrial, freshwater and brackish water | |
Sample type | Foodstuffs, milk, meals with bread and drinks, meat, fish, vegetables, mushrooms and wild berries | |
Date | 1999 - ongoing | |
Languages | Finnish | |
Status | On-going programme | |
Obtain data | Data are provided on request without restriction. Contact: star.stuk@stuk.fi | |
Key reference sources | Mustonen R (ed.). Surveillance of Environmental Radiation in Finland. Annual Report 2010. STUK-B 132. Helsinki: Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority; 2011. Results are published annually in STUK-B report series. | |
Data ownership | STUK | |
Database format | Excel | |
Figure information | 1) Finnish Foodstuff (STUK) 2) Shorthorn cow (Photograph:Cath Barnett NERC-CEH) | |
Keywords | finland , chernobyl , milk , fungi , foodstuffs , infoex |
Prepared by STAR NoE