SPATIAL VARIATION IN THE VULNERABILITY OF NORWEGIAN ARCTIC COUNTIES TO RADIOCESIUM DEPOSITION

Under the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), studies h ave been undertaken to compare potential fluxes of radiocaesium via im portant food products. The results for three Norwegian Arctic counties are presented in this paper. The comparative importance of different foodstuffs in contributing to collective dose varies spatially due to differing rates of production and transfer. Although reindeer meat is an important contributor to the radiocaesium flux following a nuclear release, other food products such as cow milli and lamb have been iden tified as potentially important. Assuming an even deposition following a nuclear release the radiocaesium flux was estimated to be highest f or reindeer meat in Finnmark and Troms, whereas cow milk gave the high est flux in Nordland. The total number, geographical distribution and diet composition of indigenous peoples within different Arctic regions is an important factor affecting individual and collective doses aris ing from a nuclear release. Finnmark has been shown to be the most vul nerable of the three counties because it has the highest flux of radio caesium and the largest number of indigenous people. The potential con tribution of foodstuffs which are known to readily accumulate radiocae sium needs further consideration, in particular, mushrooms, freshwater fish and berries. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.