Contamination of Austrian soil with caesium-137

Austria ranks among the countries that have been most strongly affected by the Chernobyl fallout. The mean contamination with Cs-137 is 21.0 kBq/m(2), of which 18.7 kBq/m(2) is due to the Chernobyl accident, whereas global fallout contributes 2.3 kBq/m(2). Maximum values of total Cs-137 contamination are nearly 200 kBq/m(2). Total deposition of Chernobyl Cs-137 On Austrian territory is 1.6 PBq or a fraction of around 2% of the Cs-137 released from the reactor. 2115 measurements were used to draw the Austrian "caesium map". The geographical pattern of fallout distribution shows regional differences of contamination as high as 1:100. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.