and indicates to us that direct ingestion of fallout was a reasonable pathway
to assume.
Although BRAVO debris was not highly soluble in water, calcium carbonate
and hydrated calcium oxide (the matrix in which BRAVO fallout was entrained)

were both highly soluble in acid (Co72).

Therefore, ingestion of BRAVO debris

resulted in release of radioiodines trapped in the granules due to the acid
enviroment of the stomach.
The mass and volume of BRAVO fallout granules were

insignificant relative to the normal amount of food eaten per meal, the normal
amoung being about 400 g for adult meals (Ev66). The mass of BRAVO fallout
per m° at Rongelap Island was 4.4 g. The volume corresponding to this mass
was 1.9 em’, about four tenths the volume of a teaspoon. The mass per m° and
corresponding volume af Utirik Tslaqd was 0.46 g and 0.20 cm”. For Sifo
Island it was 1.5 g m
and 0.48 cm” m “. These mass and volume per unit area
estimates were for the point in time at which all fallout was on the ground.
The values for Utirik and Sifo Islands were estimated by ratio of the exposure

rate to that at Rongelap Island with the ratio being estimated after the
cessation of fallout.

The main water supplies at Rongelap, eight cisterns, each contained a
height of 0.23 m of water during the later part of March and early April 1954
(Sh57).

Water was drawn from six of these cisterns at Rongelap for gross beta

analysis on March 2,.1954 (see report of the radsafe team, USS PHILIP, 0C68),
and ong other cistern was reported as out. Each cistern opening was about
0.65 m“ and was fed by galvanized metal sheeting used for catching rainwater
(Sh57). A little rain was reported on the afternoon of March 1, 1954
(Sh57). It was assumed that the additional cistern catchment area did not
contribute water or activity to the cistern. Results of the analysis for
gross bega activity concentration in cistern water ranged from 1.8 x,10- to_

2.0 x 10° Ba 2+

(0.005 to 0.054 Ci ml!) with a mean of 5.0 x 10° Bah!

(0.027 ee mi) at 50 hours post detonation (0C68). The fallout from Castle
series coral surface bursts including BRAVO was barely soluble in water
(Ka66). Estimates of solubility were based on BRAVO fallout which was
collected with mixtures of rain and sea spray, 20-50% of the iodine activity

was found in the liquid phase (Ka66).

The servicemen at Rongerik Atoll

examined the terrestrial fallout under a microscope and reported that the sand
like granules were not soluble in water on the microscope slide (Sh57).
Therefore, most BRAVO activity probably remained with fallout granules at the
bottom of a cistern.

Mean air concentration estimates of the activity of selected nuclides
were based on the deposition rates of fallout granules and total activity

deposited.
The air activity concentration at a point in time was assumed 1)
directly proportional to the fraction of total activity deposited per minute,

2) directly proportional to the total activity on the ground at the end of

fallout (decay corrected back to that point in time) and 3) inversly
proportional to fall velocity of granules.
The cumulated air activity
concentrations for Rongelap Island which were derived by us from Bikini Ash
activity results were about three times less than the cumulated air activity

concentrations given by Peterson (Pe81),

28

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