Artificial radioactivity of Finnish vegetables in the 2000s

A survey on long-lived artificial radionuclides ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr in vegetables produced in Finland was carried out in 2009–2010. The mean ¹³⁷Cs concentrations of all the outdoor vegetables were well below 0.5 Bq kg^?1, ranging from <0.01 to 8.15 Bq kg^–1 (fresh weight). The highest ¹³⁷Cs contents were found in potato and root vegetables. The uneven distribution of the ¹³⁷Cs deposition after the Chernobyl accident in 1986 was still seen in the ¹³⁷Cs contents of outdoor vegetables. The ¹³⁷Cs contents of greenhouse vegetables varied from <0.01 to 9.3 Bq kg^?1, and the highest concentrations were found in organic lettuce grown in peat pots. The concentrations of ⁹⁰Sr in the vegetables varied from 0.0087 to 0.17 Bq kg^?1 fresh weight. The mean effective dose resulting from ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr in vegetables in 2009–2010 was <0.3 µSv a^?1 and poses no health risk to the consumers.