Behaviour and significance of radioactive substances released into agricultural, forestry and fisheries; Radioation in the environment; Radioecology, behaviour, significance, models; Chernobyl and other accidents; Some international situation in Europe after Chernobyl; Some international implications; Soil and crop contamination by rarioactive fallout; Agricultural and forestry soils as a vital global resource; Soil in the nutrient cycle; Sources and nature of radioactive contamination; Biological significance of contaminated soils; Behaviour in soils and movement into foodwebs; Detection and measurement; Countermeasures, reclamation and use of contaminated soils; Concluding comments; some questions and needs.

Behaviour and significance of radioactive substances released into agricultural, forestry and fisheries ecosystems, soil and crop contamination by radioactive fallout, Notes on intervention and derived intervention levels in relation to food and agriculture, Glossary of terms, definitions, units, abbreviations, acronyms.

A review is presented of the effects of radiation on food crops and livestock in order to properly evaluate the vulnerability of food production to fallout radiation. Food supplies and food production have always played important roles in recovery from major disasters. Much more information is needed on the radiation sensitivity at different stages of growth for the principal food crops to gamma and beta radiation. Direct retention of fallout data are needed for plants and animals along with gastrointestinal sensitivity data for grazing livestock. Cattle are one of our main food reserves valued at $16 billion and data are needed on interaction of radiation insults to these livestock which have little protection from fallout. (Author).