40 eyes x COMPARISON OF PLUTONIUM CONCENTRATIONS IN DIETARY "AND INHALATION PATHWAYS AT BIKINI. AND NEW YORK AND THEIR RELEVANCE TO Pu URINE CONCENTRATIONS AND BODY BURDENS -— W.L. Robison and V.E. Noshkin © INTRODUCTION In 1970 analyses for plutoniun 239 and 240 in pooled urine samples from Bikini by the HASL-ERDA Laboratory (Health and Safety Laboratory, New York, N.Y.) showed an average concentration of 0.007 eci/e!. In 1971 the average .639,240, concentration of 3 urine samples from Bikini was 0.004 pCi/z, but in 1974 the average in 10 samples increased to 0.013 pci/e.! (No errors are attached to the values reported in Ref. 1. The average value for any year was obtained by multiplying the Pu concentration of each sample by its volume, summing these products, and dividing by the total volume). In 1975 the average 23952405, concentration in a pooled 9-2 urine sample from Bikini was reported as 0.011 pCi/z. This concentration is similar to the value found in 1974 but is 10 times higher than the “concentration (0.001 pci/n)* reported for a 1975 representative population sample from New York. | Because of the toxicity of plutonium and the belief that urine concentrations are a direct indicator of plutonium burdens in the body, the _ Increase in Bikini plutonium levels from early to mid 1970's and the large difference between the concentration found in samples from’ New York and ? Bikini is cause for concern. §&! - Yamn * a. S00971b . | —_ :