Antinuclear

Radioactive boars – Europe’s legacy from Chernobyl

Last year, US$555,000 was paid out to hunters as compensation, four times higher than in 2007. One hunter says the numbers of radioactive boars aren’t going to decrease anytime soon.

Chernobyl fallout making some German boars radioactive  National Post, Jodi lai, August 2, 2010 “Nearly 25 years after the Chernobyl explosion, Europe still sees signs of radiation. Now it’s even in their wild boars…………Wild boars are particularly susceptible to radiation because they eat mushrooms and truffles, which are very efficient at absorbing radioactivity. Radioactivity is declining in other vegetation in the region, but the levels in mushrooms will likely remain the same or even increase, Spiegel reports.
Because it is illegal to sell contaminated boar meat, Berlin has to compensate hunters who have harvested the radioactive boars that contain high levels of caesium-137. Caesium-137 is an unstable chemical that is water soluble (mushrooms are very absorbent) and toxic in small amounts. When ingested by the boars, the concentration of the chemical is higher in the muscles. Boars can’t be sold if the concentration of this chemical is more than 600 becquerel per kilogram. Some boars have been found with concentrations as high as 7,000 becquerel per kilogram in Bavaria, Spiegel says.

“In the regions where it is particularly problematic, all boar that are shot are checked for radiation,” reports Andreas Leppmann, from the German Hunting Federation. There are 70 measuring stations in Bavaria alone.

Last year, US$555,000 was paid out to hunters as compensation, four times higher than in 2007. One hunter says the numbers of radioactive boars aren’t going to decrease anytime soon.

Chernobyl fallout making some German boars radioactive | Posted | National Post

August 3, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | antinuclear, nuclear wastes, radiation, renewable