Measuring the external radiation exposure of Norwegian reindeer under field conditions

Norway was one of the European countries most affected by radioactive contamination from the 1986 Chernobyl accident. Oppland county is an area of Norway which received comparatively high levels of radiocaesium deposition in 1986 . Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) have continuingly high levels of Chernobyl-derived Cs-137 in their tissues. However, despite studies on potential biological effects of the fallout on the reindeer, a total dose estimate for the reindeer has never been made and the external exposure measurements are lacking. In this paper we describe a study to estimate external dose rate of reindeer from a herd in Oppland county.