TRANSFER OF RADIOCESIUM FROM SOIL AND PLANTS TO REINDEER IN ICELAND

The Icelandic reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), which were brought from No rway over 200 years ago, show very different levels of Cs-137 concentr ation compared to other Nordic reindeer, even if pre-Chernobyl data ar e used. Average values of 0.6-22 Bq/kg were observed during the huntin g seasons in 1990-1992, whereas winter values of about 300 Bq/kg were reported for Norway, Sweden, and Finland prior in the Chernobyl accide nt. This low concentration is due to the low average Cs-137 concentrat ion in the reindeer's diet, which contains no significant amounts of h igh-activity lichens or mushrooms. The most important lichen in the re indeer's diet is Cetraria islandica with a Cs-137 concentration that i s much lower than is commonly found in lichens. 15 Bq/kg dry wt. This study indicates that the concentration in reindeer meat shows no signi ficant seasonal variation. Some similarities can be found in a survey carried out in many areas of Russia during the winter of 1964-1965, wh ere the lowest concentration in reindeer meat was found in the norther n part of the Yakut region of Siberia. No seasonal variation was seen there and the most important lichen in the reindeer's diet was Cetrari a islandica.