Scientists have found that wild boars containing high levels of radiation are roaming Germany's countryside, the lasting effects of a nuclear explosion that swept across Europe some 30 years ago, The Telegraph reported.
Tests by the Saxony state government showed that over one in three boars contained radiation levels not deemed safe for human consumption.
In 1986, when Ukraine was a part of the former Soviet Union, an explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear plant sent radioactive particles flying into the air as far as Germany and France. The boars were susceptible to the radiation because they rummage through the soil for mushrooms and truffles, which were contaminated by heavy rainfall following the explosion.
But the boars are still radioactive due to the lethal isotope Caesium 137's half-life of 30 years, according to NBC News.
Experts predict the boars will remain radioactive for the next 50 years, which is bad news for local hunters who kill the animals and sell their meat. Since 2012, hunters are required to test the boars they kill for radiation, according to The Telegraph. Any boar that passes the safe limit must be destroyed.
Out of 752 boars, 297 exceeded radiation limits during testing from September 2012 to August 2013.
Concern for the public's health, however, is apparently not that high, thanks to Germany's strict environmental regulations. If one consumed 13 kilograms of radioactive meat, they would have the same radiation levels as someone on a cross-continental flight, according to NBC News.
"You should not expect that wild boars in the southern Vogland region are now glowing in the dark, but regulations in Germany and the European Union are very strict," Fran Meyer, spokesman for the local environment ministry, told the station.
Many Germans also consider wild boars a nuisance. Major highways have been shut down due to boar crossings and one boar incident resulted in a man being attacked in his wheelchair, The Telegraph reported.
