Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2009, 6 183 Table 2. Monitoring data (mean and range) of 90Sr activity concentrations in foodstuffs (Bq kg-1) in Muslyumovo and Brodokalmak from different studies performed between 1990 and 1998. Product Milk RECLAIM [24] Romanov [25] Brodokalmak 0.8 (0.04-5.7)a Muslyumovo 1.7 (0.04-37)a Brodokalmak 0.82 (0.4-1.2)c 0.63±0.37 0.65±0.34 0.38 (0.21-0.85)c <5 <4 2.0 2.7 Cabianca et al., [19] Brodokalmak 3.6 (1-5.6) Non-restricted pastures: 3.6 (1-4.9) Flood plain pasture: 3.6 (1.6-5.6) 5.4 (3.2-9.4) Potatoes Vegetables 5.2-28.5 Meat 0.6 Egg 0.6 Cereals 1.4 (1.26-1.32) Fish Techa River 340 Lakes 45 (41-48) <4 <1 1.6±1.3 150 Muslyumovo 0.60 (0.37-0.74)b 0.80 (0.7-1.0)c 0.30 (0.15-8.1)b 0.55 (0.27-1.5)c Dates: a = (1990-1997), b = (1994-1997), c = (1998) Data presented in Tables 2 and 3 show that monitoring data exhibit relatively small variations between different studies and temporally. Data for 90Sr indicate that activities are quite low in most food stuffs although fish caught in the Techa River are clearly a possible source of 90Sr to the local population. Cs-137 is also present at quite low levels in most foodstuffs apart from milk and fish caught in the Techa River. Milk data for cows grazed on non-restricted (i.e. away from the river bank) and restricted pastures show a clear difference for 137Cs with averages of 7 Bq kg-1 compared to 175 Bq kg-1, respectively [19]. 2. Dose Assessment The populations living along the Techa River were chronically exposed to radiation, both externally and internally. Villagers were exposed via many different pathways, of which potable water from the Techa River was one of the most significant. External irradiation from the Techa River bottom sediments and shoreline was also an important factor. The river was the main source (sometimes the only source) of water for households in the riverside villages. Techa river water was also given to cattle, used for watering vegetation, breeding waterfowl, fishing, bathing and washing. The radionuclides believed to contribute most to the dose commitment are 90Sr and 137Cs. A survey of dietary habits of the population of Brodokalmak was carried out in 1996 by the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology (IPAE), Ekaterinburg [19], investigating the intake of different food products. In 1998, another survey of the dietary habits of the population in Muslyumovo and Brodokalmak was carried out by the Russian Research Institute for Radiation Hygiene (IRH), St. Petersburg [24] in