Are we moving in the right direction?

In Kautokeino the highest concentrations of caesium-137 were registered in 1965. Since then, concentrations have gradually decreased, with the exception of an increase after the Chernobyl accident in 1986. However, after the accident, concentrations of caesium-137 in reindeer herders from Kautokeino have been much lower than those registered in Mid-Norway.

In Kautokeino and the Røros region, the levels of radioactive caesium in reindeer herders are declining more steadily, corresponding with the reduction in reindeer contamination.

Surveys of reindeer herders in the Snåsa region show very little decline in concentrations of radioactive caesium in the last decade. This is probably due to the fact that fewer people are now implementing countermeasures, seeing as the concentrations in reindeer meat in most districts are below the action limit (3000 Bq/kg). The concentrations in reindeer meat in the Snåsa region have not changed much since the late 1990s.