Atlas on caesium contamination of Europe
Following the Chernobyl reactor accident in 1986, the institutions of the EU have been active in supporting research related to the consequences of the accident in terms of contamination. A specific programme of research was implemented from 1993 to 1995 under the auspices of a formal agreement between the Commission and the relevant Government Ministries in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Financial support for the programme was provided through a separate budget approved by the Parliament and a total of 16 research projects were implemented. One of the projects was concerned with the preparation of a comprehensive Atlas of the deposition, over the whole of Europe, of radioactive material released during the accident. The atlas, now available, provides the following information: - Description of, and response to, the Chernobyl accident; - The deposition of ceasium-137 on Europe; - Chernobyl deposits other than caesium-137; - The current radiological significance of the Chernobyl deposits; - National and regional scale maps of caesium-137 deposition; - Local scale maps of areas of higher and highest caesium-137 deposition; - Daily meteorological maps from 26 April to 11 May 1986.