see ee =
‘Dr. George Hardie attended :a meeting at the. New York Opeyation®
Office on August 24 on the future of the poloniumtoxicity reseqrch.pro-:
gram. Representatives from Mound Laboratory, :‘Oak Ridge. Operatic ns-Office;
- University ofRochester:‘Project’;‘NewYork:Operations:Office}:vas wel.cas2
Division ofBiology: and’ Medicine;Were :present..” Plans:werefmade‘tdthe
hold a:2-day.-symposimmon: polonium.toxicity. research sccomplis!hhents; at
Rochester. on ‘September ;21-22; lt PTs
Biology. Brauch (Research Problems)
University of Tennessee (Oak Ridge).
A project has beem initiated |
jointly with the Division of Military Application to determine
fthe effects
of exposing large animals to external radiation using tantalumJi82.
Ini-
tially, burros will be used as they approximate the size of maf: The
range of exposure will be from 30 roentgens to 150 roentgens dbily. The
outdoor exposure field will be constructed so that it can be dBactivated
to allow for the handling and observation of the animals. The physiological criteria as to the effects of the radiation will incl He physical
fitness, blood chemistry and hematology, and fertility. —
U. S. Department of Agriculture (Beltsville, Ma.).
AcqJording to
¢
Dr. F. W. Parker, Assistant Chief of the Bureau of Plant Indugtry, Soils
and Agricultural Engineering, the advances made in our knowledge of phos-
phate fertilizers during the last 3 years through the use of fFadioisotopes
exceeds. the information obtained during the preceding 50 yearg. The
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economic importance of this is apparent when we consider thatithe annual
sales of phosphate fertilizers in the United States exceed 1Q/million tons.
Biophysics Branch
Ideho. survey.
The radiation background survey of the [idaho Reactor
Testing Station site carried on during the summer is essentially complete.
Because of Hanford's proximity to Idaho and "know-how" in lof-level radiation measurement, Hanford undertook to make radioactivity tekts of the
air, soil, water, vegetation, and animals.
Idaho State Collfge colliected,
prepared, and shipped samples to Hanford, while as part of ifs own ecological survey of the area it collected and preserved some 1E0O specimens
of plants and 68 specimens of small animals for the college.
It has also
staked out about 250 plots in order to follow anychanges wifich might
occur in vegetation. The Hanford measurements showed that wadcn and
thoron concentrations in the air at the site are somewhat higher than at
Hanford, but that the radioactivity of the water is somewha} less than
at Hanford - about one-tenth of the present permissible levgl. Because
iodine may become one of the major radioactive contaminants
emphasis has been laid on the natural occurrence of iodine.]
particular
There are
strong indications of several distinct levels of iodine conkentration at
various locations about the site.
The level of potassium (Bncluding K 40)
appears to be higher than at Hanford.
These detailed obseywations will
be of much value in checking on possible contamination of the area, particularly of grazing lands, when reactor operations begin.
Emergency tolerance levels.
A preliminary study hag
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been made tc
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