4 ms·

I suspect being fully surrounded by earth most of the time helps shielding against radiation a lot.

• defrost 2y ago
  Or water, or the guts of other animals - these are nematodes being discussed, a broad largely microscopic phylum. Not earthworms. In the case of the Chernobyl exclusion zone it's the surface and now subsurface soils that pose the greatest risk, especially if ingested, breathed in, etc. The radioactive plumes spread through the air and settled as dust, now turned into the soil by the activity of animals .. such as the earthworms and nemotodes which can number in the million per square metre (being microscopic and all). They live fully surrounded by the fallout dust, they eat and pass out the fallout dust.