40 years after Chernobyl: How safe are our food and drinking water today?

40 years after Chernobyl: How safe are our food and drinking water today?

40 years after Chernobyl: How safe are our food and drinking water today?

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May 20, 2026 - Foods

40 years after Chernobyl: How safe are our food and drinking water today?

40 years after Chernobyl: How safe are our food and drinking water today?

40 years after the Chernobyl reactor disaster, long-lasting radionuclides such as cesium-137 can still be detected in certain foods, wildlife, and drinking water. However, the measured contaminations are mostly well below the legal limits.

In Baden-Württemberg, the CVUAs in Stuttgart and Freiburg regularly monitor food, feed, drinking water, wild mushrooms, and soil. In 2025, over 1000 samples were analyzed, with a focus on Cs-137, in addition to strontium-90, uranium and plutonium isotopes, and tritium. Most samples showed activity concentrations well below the permissible maximum values.

An exception is wild boar meat from selected regions of the Black Forest and Upper Swabia. Here, isolated Cs-137 concentrations above the legal limit of 600 Bq/kg were detected. As part of the established wildlife monitoring program, contaminated animals are identified early and not brought to market. Wild mushrooms and drinking water samples mostly showed low activity values; only in a few cases were values slightly above the natural background detected.

In our Tentamus laboratories, we conduct investigations of radioactive contamination by cesium 134 + 137, iodine 131, and strontium 90. We provide you with fast and reliable results and are happy to advise you on all matters related to product safety. If you have any questions, our customer advisors are happy to assist you.

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