Hunting and Fauna: Piedmont, investigations continue on the question of wild boars from Val Sesia contaminated by radiation from Cesium 137; according to Minister Balduzzi, "They do not pose a risk".
The news of the discovery of traces of radioactive contamination from Cesium 137 within the meats of 27 boars killed during the past hunting season in Val Sesia, in the province of Vercelli. From the samples analyzed, the level of radioactive isotope Cesium 137 was found to be about ten times higher than the threshold indicated by Regulation 733 of 2008 as a tolerable limit in the event of a nuclear accident. On the matter, the head of the Enea Radioprotection Institute, Elena Fantuzzi, explained “Cesium 137 is an artificial radionuclide produced by nuclear fission. It is released from nuclear sites "; starting from this assumption, the most plausible hypotheses are those according to which the isotope could be a residue of the accident in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986.
Another hypothesis could take into consideration the nuclear sites, not far from the affected area in the area, including that of Trino Vercellese dismantled in 1987 and the experimental site of Enea, in Saluggia; but the ARPA, Regional Agency for Environmental Protection, following the checks carried out, ruled out this hypothesis and will carry out “a specific radiological monitoring of the Valsesia area for an in-depth analysis”. Finally, the toxic waste track is not excluded. Going on, Fantuzzi still explains that we must consider even if the metabolism of boars may have characteristics such as to favor the accumulation of Cesium 137 in an amount exceeding the tolerable limits.
According to the Councilor for the Environment of the Piedmont Region, Roberto Ravello, any health risks would be "contained and controllable" therefore it is preferable to avoid unnecessary alarmism. Gian Piero Godio, of Legambiente Piemonte and Val d'Aosta and expert in nuclear issues, has clear ideas, "It can only be the fallout of the emissions from the Chernobyl power plant, there could be no other explanations: the Valsesia area does not present any radioactive source ". The environmental association also asks that "strict and effective checks be carried out in Italy and in particular on the entire Italian Alpine arc, subject to strong radioactive contamination after the explosion of the Chernobly reactor", as well as the completion "of the mapping of the environmental contamination ".
In the meantime, the Carabinieri of Nas and Noe also participate in the investigations, alerted by the Minister of Health Renato Balduzzi together with the General Directorate for Hygiene and Safety of Food and Nutrition of the same Ministry which will coordinate all the investigations. During the meeting held yesterday morning which was also attended by the exponents of the zooprophylactic institute of Turin, in order to lay the foundations for a serious investigation on the issue, Minister Balduzzi wanted to reassure, "The levels of contamination found do not constitute a risk to public health in consideration of the limited consumption of wild boar and game meat".
Similarly, the Director of the Zooprophylactic Center of Piedmont, Liguria and Valle D'Aosta, Maria Caramelli, reassured the hunters and their families explaining that they are not in any danger since the meat system is very controlled considering that the same hunters are obliged to subject the carcasses of the culled animals to analyzes aimed at identifying any parasitic contamination.
In the meantime, the hunters who killed the 27 wild boars found to be contaminated have already been traced, through the surveillance registers created by the Region, and asked not to consume the preserved meat. It was also ascertained that the meat of those wild boars was not sold to restaurateurs or agritourisms; for those who had already eaten the contaminated ones, the health risk would be minimal. Caramelli explained, "Values up to ten times higher than the maximum threshold set by law in the event of a nuclear accident were found, but the danger is triggered only if there is continued exposure to radio-contaminants." There are about a hundred samples to be analyzed. ARPA del Piemonte will deepen the monitoring in Valsesia and similar controls will be carried out by the analogous agency in Valle d'Aosta.
He then added the Caramelli that it is necessary to “Establish immediate monitoring plans in the areas of the Alpine arc. In any case, the "radioactive" areas seem very limited ". In fact, Caramelli specified that "a map is being drawn up that highlights a concentration in points, therefore not widespread, in the air of the Alpine area of Valsesia". According to some investigations carried out on the animals of the plain and the province of Cuneo, they excluded traces of contamination. Regarding the causes of the contamination, Caramelli says she is quite sure “that it is a direct consequence of the Chernobyl accident, Cesium 137 is the typical indicator of the Chernobyl accident. This is what has been found in other studies in other European countries ”, for example in Germany about a few years ago.
Radioactivity monitoring also extends to wild boars in the province of Asti, in the Langhe. The head of the zooprophylaxis laboratories of Vercelli, Novara, Asti and Alessandria, Fulvio Brusa, explained "We do not want to create alarmism" but has in any case also ordered checks on hares, roe deer, mushrooms, truffles and blueberries; he then added “It is necessary to start a screening of all wild boars present in the valleys of Northern Italy. It will be a long but necessary job: we cannot think that the only cases have occurred in such a tiny portion of the territory. We need to deepen. And also think of other wild species such as roe deer, which are rapidly spreading ”.
Even the Minister of the Environment, Corrado Clini, wished to specify, “We are checking. It may still be a Chernobyl outcome because the half-life of radioactivity is very long, so it is possible. We are doing a check and I am not able to give other indications ”. Instead, they rush to Coldiretti who ask "We need to immediately extend the analyzes to other wild animals and clarify the sources of contamination as soon as possible"; moreover, according to Coldiretti, controls must be strengthened for products arriving from abroad, especially when the origin is from Eastern European countries.
9 March 2013
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