Assessment of the possibility of a return to the original use of pastures and hayfields abandoned after the Chornobyl accident

Abstract

A radiological assessment of hayfields and pastures (Narodychy district, Zhytomyr region), which were taken out of economic use due to contamination after the Chornobyl accident, was performed. The possibility and ways of returning the lands to original use were considered. Maps of 137Cs and 90Sr soil contamination densities for the field were made and the corresponding statistical characteristics of the contamination were estimated. Estimates of 137Cs and 90Sr activity concentration in natural grasses, cow milk, and meat as well as the risks of exceeding by the values the permissible levels have been calculated. The possibility of using the land for the production of milk and meat has been shown in the example of the considered radioactively contaminated pastures.