A different surface geology in Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland influences the radiological contamination of drinking water

A comparison was made between Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland of the contamination of water resources with strontium-90 from nuclear weapons fallout and cesium-137 from the nuclear accident at Chernobyl. It was found that Danish ground water used as drinking water was nearly totally protected by morainic surface soils.

Faroese drinking water from streams that run along a peaty soil surface had a 30 times higher contamination level and contributed about 3% to the total contamination of the human diet. The drinking water in Greenland was taken from streams that run along a morainic soil surface. It showed contamination levels that were 100 times higher than in Denmark and contributed about 15% to the total contamination of the human diet during the last 10 years.