This week in the Finnish city Ivalo are measuring radiation levels in the organism of people living there. Similar analyses are conducted in Lapland since the 1960s.
Monitor the level of radiation in the body of the reindeer herders of Finnish Lapland have been held for more than 50 years. The presence of cesium in the human body caused by Soviet nuclear weapons tests during the cold war, has decreased significantly. However, these figures are currently the highest in the country. However, cancer diseases are found in locals less.
According to the Institute of meteorology of Finland, the atomic bomb tests at the Novaya Zemlya archipelago a thousand kilometers from the Finnish city Ivalo raised the level of artificial radiation is thousands of times compared to earlier indicators.
Institute of meteorology published a report in 2011, after more than 50 years after the Soviet tests.
Head of laboratory of radiation and nuclear safety authority of Finland STUK Maarit Muikku (Maarit Muikku) reports that the nuclear tests the United States during the cold war also caused the release of cesium into the stratosphere, and he also settled in Finnish Lapland.
The highest presence of cesium-137 was observed in reindeer herders in Inari and Utsjoki in the mid 1960s. Then, the average level was 45 thousand becquerels. During previous studies for the six years before that the average was about a thousand. And it was ten times more in comparison to the rest of the population.
Through the moss — deer, through deer — man
Reindeer Taneli Magga (Magga Ilpo) is undergoing tests at the outset of their conduct. His first examination took place at school age, in 1961, in Inari. For 50 years, the numbers are down. Now the radiation levels at the herder — 1100 becquerels.
“Every time rates were lower. Dropped 200 becquerels for six years,” says Magga.
A large part of the cesium in Lapland — a consequence of nuclear weapons testing in the atmosphere. The Chernobyl accident in 1986 caused only minor consequences, because the wind carried the cloud with cesium to the South.
Herders, of course, eat a lot of venison, and it contains a lot of cesium. Deer get cesium, eating moss and mushrooms. The fish and berries is also present artificial radiation.
Taneli Magga said that his diet consists of 90% of these gifts of nature.
On statistics the number of cancer patients is not affected
Despite the fact that the population of Lapland defeated stronger radiation than the rest of the inhabitants of Finland, the level of cancer is not more than usual.
“We’ve been trying to figure this out, but epidemiological studies have not shown that the risk of developing cancer here may be higher. On the contrary,” says Maarit Muikku.
According to the results of studies in Finland and Norway, the Saami reindeer herders observed much less cancer than the rest of the population.
According to the study Leena Soininen (Leena Soininen), published in 2015, the Finnish soltow (East Sami) is more common stomach cancer than the General population of Finland. The reasons for this are not installed.
