Over the years since the Chernobyl accident, changes in the radiation situation have occurred in forests contaminated with radionuclides: the decay of short-lived isotopes and their migration deeper into the soil have led to a decrease in the level of gamma radiation, and consequently, the natural radioactive background.

Over the years since the Chernobyl accident, changes in the radiation situation have occurred in forests contaminated with radionuclides: the decay of short-lived isotopes and their migration deeper into the soil have led to a decrease in the level of gamma radiation, and consequently, the natural radioactive background. At the same time, forest products, especially mushrooms and berries, remain strong accumulators of radionuclides. Mushrooms that accumulate radionuclide caesium-137 to a lesser extent include: honey fungus, puffball, champignon, false morel; those that accumulate to a moderate extent include: chanterelle, porcini, orange-cap boletus, birch boletus; those that accumulate significantly include: milk-cap, saffron milk cap, woolly milk cap, green brittlegill; accumulators are: bitter-stemmed bolete, slippery jack, common earthball. It should be noted that the concentration of radionuclides in mushroom caps is 1-2 times higher than in their stems.

In terms of the intensity of caesium-137 accumulation, wild berries can be arranged in increasing order as follows: guelder rose, rowan, wild strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, lingonberry, blueberry. Cranberries and bilberries accumulate the most radionuclides. Under equal growing conditions, bilberries accumulate 2-3 times more caesium-137 than raspberries and wild strawberries.

How to reduce the content of radionuclides in mushrooms and berries?

Collected mushrooms should be cleaned of moss and soil, the skin should be removed from the cap, and they should be thoroughly washed with running water. Soak them in a 2% saline solution for several hours and boil them in salted water for an hour. Drain the broth approximately every 15 minutes. Add table vinegar or citric acid to the water. An acidic environment increases the transfer of radionuclides into the broth. These simple measures reduce the radionuclide content by 10-15 times. The concentration of radionuclides increases during drying.

If the concentration of radionuclides in berries is low, they can be used to make compotes. Berries are boiled in sugar syrup, the mixture is strained, the liquid is sealed, and the berries are discarded. Jams and preserves should not be prepared, nor should wild berries with radionuclide concentrations above permissible levels be consumed.

How to verify the safety of berries and mushrooms collected in the forest or purchased

at

market, safe for health?

When purchasing wild mushrooms and berries at the market, request a certificate from the laboratory regarding radionuclide content. Requesting a certificate is the legal right of every buyer. Providing a certificate is the seller's obligation: obtaining such a document from the laboratory will not require much time or money.

Ensure that wild produce collected is subjected to radiation control!

Wild berries and mushrooms can be tested for caesium-137 radionuclide content at the radiological control point of the State Institution "Lepel District Centre for Hygiene and Epidemiology" (Lepel, Voikov St., 69-a). The sample volume must be at least 1 kg. Testing of forest produce collected for personal consumption is carried out free of charge.

May forest produce only benefit your body!

Prepared by: Head of the Laboratory Department of the State Institution "Lepel District Centre for Hygiene and Epidemiology" Tatyana Shamanidi