Countermeasures for reducing radioactive contamination of farm animals and farm animal products

A summary is given of the range and effectiveness of different available countermeasures which can reduce the radiation dose arising from the radioactive contamination of food products from animals. The choice of which countermeasure is suitable for each particular situation will depend on many factors. Consideration should be given not only to the effectiveness of each countermeasure in terms of reduction of radionuclide content, but also to its practicality and cost, particularly where deposition levels are high or where high contamination levels in animal food products persist for a long period of time. Effective countermeasures which can reduce radiocaesium contamination of milk and meat from farmed animals by more than a factor of 10 have been developed, tested and used during the last 30 years. Less progress has been made in identifying effective binders for reducing levels of the other important contaminating radionuclides, such as I and Sr, in animal food products.