- 3-
Fron its formation in a nuclear detonation until it is metabolized
by man, the path of e Sr-90 atam is long end tortuous.
Understanding
of its route has came from studies which know none of the bounds of eny
one of the conventional scientific disciplines.
The phenomenology of
Sr-90 in fellout can be described only in the combined languages of all
the principal combined sciences:
physics, end biological chanistry.
the world for Sr-90 analyses.
geophysics, physical chemistry, bioSamples ere collected throughout
Many of these are sent to the United
States for analyses, but others, in increesing numbers, ere enalyzed
in the laboratories of other lands by the many scientists whose data,
like our own, are routinely submitted to the United Netions Committee
on the Effects of Rediation.
Monitoring for rediostrontium can be divided conveniently into
studies of its geophysical and biologicel distribution.
Under the
former classification ere collected those semples which give us an
understending of the behavior of rediostrentium from its formetion in
the fireball to its deposition on the surfece of the earth end incorporation into soils.
The biological studies trace the movenents of
Sr-90 from the soils end waters through the flora and feune of the
oceens, pastures, and farms, to the skeleton of man.
A summery of the
AEC sampling program is given in Table I.
Sempling for Geophysical Distribution
Except for immediate fellout in the area of detonation, the
original fission products are injected into the troposphere cr straeteosphere and are geographically distributed
by the winds.
Redioective
neterials are brought down to the surfece by precipitation, settling,
and to a lesser’ extent, by air turbulence.