Overview

• A peer-reviewed study confirms that most farmland in the Chornobyl-affected Zhytomyr region can be safely used for agriculture with proper monitoring.
• Researchers developed a simple protocol to assess soil contamination and predict radioactive uptake in crops like potatoes, cereals, and sunflowers.
• Radiation exposure for agricultural workers in tested areas is well below national safety thresholds and global natural background levels.
• The findings challenge decades-old zoning restrictions but face delays in official reclassification due to political and regulatory inertia.
• The study’s methods could be applied to other radioactively contaminated sites worldwide, offering a model for land recovery.