Radiological risk in post-accidental food contaminations: from legal norms to inclusive governance

As proven by past experience, nuclear accidents can lead to large scale environmental contaminations and the subsequent need to take decisions concerning the management of the food chain. The current legal framework for... [ view full abstract ]

As proven by past experience, nuclear accidents can lead to large scale environmental contaminations and the subsequent need to take decisions concerning the management of the food chain. The current legal framework for post-accident situations relies on the definition of Maximum Permitted Levels (MPL's) of radioactive contamination of food. These levels are laid down in European Council Regulation and are specific for emergency situations. However, MPL's may be subject to revision in the aftermath of an accident. In addition, Member States may decide to adopt different MPL's for use at national level.
In this paper we draw on insights from multiple studies to explore the adequacy of MPL's to deal with the complexity of a post-accident situation.
Our analysis unfolds in three parts. The first used empirical data originating from a public opinion survey representative for the Belgian population (N>1000). This revealed that people are reluctant to consume food products with residual radioactivity, even if these satisfy MPL's, and that this reluctance can be partially explained by aspects linked to justification and trust in legal norms.
The second part of analysis looked into media reporting on radioactivity in food during one year after the accident in Fukushima. Content analysis of articles in four Belgian newspapers showed that units used to express scientific quantities such as MPL's are not familiar neither to the general public, nor the media. However, comparisons with legal norms have sometimes been used instead, in order to provide a reference for reporting about food safety.
The third, final part, discusses MPL's based on findings from post-Fukushima experience in Japan and a number of stakeholder panels organised in several European countries in the framework of the FP7 project PREPARE. Among other, this part of analysis emphasized the different understandings and uses of the concept of MPL: they are needed to protect the population, but may also be employed to preserve local food consumption and production habits, restoring consumer’s confidence or zoning the (non)affected areas in view of application of countermeasures. Consequently, the justification and meaning of such norms is not always clear.
The insights from this analysis are used to highlight challenges of post-accident radiological risk governance and implications for policy making.