"The European Commission and the Ministries responsible for Chernobyl Affairs in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine have carried out a collaborative programme of research on the consequences of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident (Cat. Nr.14). ... One of the projects was concerned with the preparation of a comprehensive Atlas of the deposition, over the whole territory of Europe, of radioactive material released during the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident.
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The Atlas will be the authoritative reference on this subject for many years to come and it will have wide public and scientific interest. The interest of many will probably not extend much beyond checking for themselves the levels of deposition where they live or might have been around the time of the accident. Others may be interested in the large scale over which material was dispersed and by the very irregular patterns of deposition which are testimony to pollution being no respecter of geographic or national boundaries.
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The Atlas also provides much needed perspective for judging the current radiological significance of the deposition across Europe. ... Much concern and anxiety continues to be experienced with regard to the potential harm from residual contamination of the environment. While these concerns are often not commensurate with the actual risks involved, they remain problematic for those affected. Hopefully the perspective provided by this Atlas will go some way towards allaying such concerns. If so, the Atlas will have a broader social value that is additional to its scientific importance." (from the Preface)
