New measurements of radioactivity in some areas of Jotunheimen show levels of radioactivity are higher than allowed in reindeer 26 years after the Chernobyl disaster.
Many of the reindeer grazing on land in Vågå were discovered to have radiation levels too high for them to be used for human consumption in 2010.
The research has found that mountains over Valdresflya are particularly exposed to radiation.
Cesium-137 is meant to have a half-life of 30 years. The safe limit for human consumption is 3,000 Becquerel per kilo of meat.
“Levels are dependent on the food type and region in which the reindeer are grazing, but we often measured up to 7,000 Becquerel of Cesium per kilo of meat,” Astrid Liland, head of section for health and environmental assessment Norway’s Radiation Protection Authority (NRPA), tells The Foreigner.
Herders in the area have attempted to reduce the effects of the radiation by moving their animals to places with less pollution.
Liland adds, “Reindeer with levels in excess of the limit are not slaughtered. They are either released, or kept in pens and fed a special diet for a period of some weeks before culling.”
Three months ago, reports showed that some sheep in certain parts of Norway contain 4,000 Becquerel per kilo of meat.