EVOLUTION OF Cs AND ^Sr CONTENT OF THE MAIN FOODSTUFF IN BUCHAREST AREA AFTER THE CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT

Soon after the Chernobyl accident, the radioactive cloud, carrying the nuclides released into the atmosphere, reached Romania and, due to the rainy weather, an important fallout occurred over the Romanian territory. The most important contaminants for Romania were I, Cs, Cs and Sr. As in many other countries, in the first days, I had the main contribution to the irradiation dose released to the population. After its decay, and the decay of the other short-lived radionuclides, Cs and Sr remained the most important contaminants. The principal route of intake for these two radionuclides is considered to be the ingestion of contaminated foods. To assess the radioactive burden of foods, a long term, large scale survey was initiated at the National Institute of Hygiene and Public Health (INISP). These results were then used to asses the doses committed due to cesium and strontium intake and the excedentary cancer risk for the population from Bucharest area [1].