Journal of Defense Management
Open Access

Abstract

Screening Methods for Monitoring the Radionuclides Contamination in Biological Materials and Live Animals

Cazzola P, Ballocchi E, Deevasis M, Del Tito C and Finezzi P

The presence of areas contaminated by anthropogenic radionuclides, such as 137Cs, requires the prompt analysis of a large number of samples. A sanitary intervention, together with traditional surveillance systems, are fundamental to detect and interrupt the transmission of radionuclides into the food chain throughout either the direct human consumption of contaminated vegetables or the indirect human intake through the animal feeding. Moreover, an increase in the radioisotopes bioavailability is likely to be observed over one or two links in the food chain.