Caesium-137 in the Austrian environment
2026 marks the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident. We continue to monitor the environment, foodstuffs and imports in order to track the effects of this disaster and protect the Austrian population. This is carried out in accordance with legal requirements (Radiation Protection Act 2020) on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Climate and Environmental Protection, Regions and Water Management (BMLUK) and the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection (BMASGPK).
The reactor disaster in Chernobyl on 26 April 1986 led to the release of large quantities of radioactive substances. Austria was severely affected by radioactive fallout – caused by precipitation in the days following the release – and the after-effects are still measurable. However, in Central Europe, only the long-lived caesium-137, with a half-life of approximately 30 years, is of any significance in terms of radiation exposure. In arable and grassland soils, however, the caesium is bound to existing clay components and is therefore no longer available to plants. Caesium-137 therefore no longer plays a role in agricultural products. In forest soil, on the other hand, caesium-137 is available to plants in the humus layer and can thus be taken up by the plants via their roots. Consequently, wild animals, particularly wild boars, ingest caesium-137.
Monitoring of game meat and mushrooms in Austria
Over the past two decades, we have repeatedly carried out projects focusing on caesium-137 in forest products:
- 2007 and 2008: Focus study “Survey of radioactive contamination in game meat”
- 2012: Focus project: “Wild boar meat on the market”
- 2016: Project on caesium-137 in the environment: “Radioecological evaluation of radionuclide contamination in forest ecosystems 30 years after Chernobyl”, in collaboration with the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences
- 2018: Priority initiative “Game meat and products: testing for heavy metals and radioactivity”
Further information on selected projects can be found here or at the bottom of this page under Downloads.
We test almost 1,000 food samples for radioactivity every year. In agricultural products, caesium-137 levels have returned to pre-Chernobyl accident levels; however, higher caesium-137 levels can still occur in wild mushrooms and game. We therefore carry out regular monitoring of game meat and mushrooms for caesium-137. In addition, mushrooms imported from third countries are also tested for caesium-137.
Of the game meat samples we have measured since 2019, only nine samples had activity concentrations above the limit of 600 Bq/kg. This game meat was not available for sale. Among the wild mushrooms tested, all measurement results for chanterelles and porcini mushrooms were well below this limit.
Caesium-137 - Risk
The effects of Chernobyl only account for a very small proportion of the average radiation exposure of the population in Austria (see graph below).
The measure of exposure to radioactivity is the dose and is expressed in milli-Sievert (mSv). If you eat ten portions of wild boar meat (1 portion = 250 g) per year from the maximum contaminated wild boar (4,710 Bq/kg) from the project "Radioecological evaluation of radionuclide contamination in forest ecosystems 30 years after Chernobyl", the ingested dose is 0.15 mSv per year. This corresponds to about half the annual dose that is ingested through the intake of natural radionuclides with food (0.3 to 0.4 mSv per year).
For comparison: a transatlantic flight or a lung x-ray corresponds to a dose of approx. 0.05 - 0.09 mSv, a mammography examination approx. 0.2 to 0.3 mSv. The natural radiation exposure in Austria is approx. 4.3 mSv per year. The total annual radiation dose of an average Austrian is around 6 mSv.
The amount of game meat and wild mushrooms consumed is usually so small that the resulting dose is not relevant, even if some mushrooms (such as the Semmelstoppel mushroom from the caesium-137 mushroom map project) are above the limit. However, if you want to minimise your personal exposure, you can switch to cultivated mushrooms and mushrooms from regions with lower caesium-137 levels in the soil. The concentration of caesium-137 in the soil in Austria can be seen on the Federal Environment Agency's map of caesium-137 in the soil. In the red areas, the probability of finding fungi with a caesium-137 content above the limit value is higher.
Contact
Mag. Dr. Claudia Landstetter
- strahlenschutz.wien@ages.at
- +43 664 8398143
-
Spargelfeldstraße 191
1220 Wien
Last updated: 13.04.2026
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