(137)Cs in the meat of wild boars: a comparison of the impacts of Chernobyl and Fukushima

The impact of Chernobyl on the (137)Cs activities found in wild boars in Europe, even in remote locations from the NPP, has been much greater than the impact of Fukushima on boars in Japan. Although there is great variability within the (137)Cs concentrations throughout the wild boar populations, some boars in southern Germany in recent years exhibit higher activity concentrations (up to 10,000 Bq/kg and higher) than the highest (137)Cs levels found in boars in the governmental food monitoring campaign (7900 Bq/kg) in Fukushima prefecture in Japan. The levels of radiocesium in boar appear to be more persistent than would be indicated by the constantly decreasing (137)Cs inventory observed in the soil which points to a food source that is highly retentive to (137)Cs contamination or to other radioecological anomalies that are not yet fully understood.