SERIOUS RADIATION ACCIDENTS AND THE RADIOLOGICAL IMPACT ON AGRICULTURE

The consumption of food products obtained in areas subjected to radioa ctive contamination as a consequence of a radiation accident appears t o be the most significant source of irradiation for the population. At the same time, this route can be regulated very effectively. The regu larities of contamination of agricultural production, peculiar feature s of internal dose formation in the population and the effectiveness o f countermeasures in agriculture have been analysed using the experien ce of two major accidents in the former USSR -- in the South Urals (Ky shtym accident) in 1957, and at the Chernobyl NPP in 1986.