Title: Radiological survey of plants,
Washington Univ.,
Corporate Source:
p 36
Publication Date: Nov 1975

animals, and soil in micronesia
Seattle (USA)

NVv0-0269-35
Report Number(s):
Contract Number (DOE): EY-76-S-08-0269

Document Type: Report; Numerical data
Language: English

Journal Announcement: EDB7904
Availability: Dep. NTIS, PC A03/MF AOl.

Subfile:
ERA
(Energy Research Abstracts);
(Technical Information Center).

INS

.

,

(US Atomindex input);

TIC

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Publication: United States
Abstract: In 1974 the Laboratory of Radiation Ecology began a program to
determine the radionuclides found in foods, plants, animals, and soils
of the Central Pacific. As part of this program the present study was
undertaken to determine radionuclides found in the common foods and
soils in areas of Micronesia other than those areas receiving local
fallout from the test sites at Bikini or Enewetak atolls. Areas sampled
in 1975 were Majuro Atoll in the Marshall Islands, Truk and Ponape in
the Caroline Islands, Guam in the Marianas Islands, and Koror and
Babelthaup in the Palau Islands. All samples were analyzed for
gamma-emitting radionuclides while some were also analyzed for /sup

90/Sr of /sup 239/ /sup 240/Pu. Results of the analyses indicate that
naturally occurring /sup 40/K is the predominant radionuclide in the

biological’ samples. Cesium-137 in amounts less than 1 pCi/g (dry) was
the only fallout radionuclide detected in most of the biological
samples. Soil samples usually contained /sup 90/Sr, /sup 137/Cs, /sup

238/U,

and /sup 239/Pu, while soil from Truk, Palau, and Ponape also

contained isotopes of radium and thorium.

Soil from Guam also contained

/sup 210/Pb and /sup 235/U in addition to the above radionuclides.
Considering only the fallout radionuclides, the values for /sup 90/Sr,
/sup 137/Cs, and /sup 239/ /sup 240/Pu in samples from Guam, Palau,
Truk,

Ponape,

and Majuro are

less than the values for these

radionuclides in similar samples from atolls such as Utirik, Rongerik,
and Ailinginae in the northern Marshall Islands, and are much less than
values of these radionuclides in samples from Bikini and Rongelap
atolls.;
Major Descriptors: *BANANAS -- RADIOACTIVITY; *CESIUM 137 -- RADIATION

9004050

MONITORING; *CESIUM 137 -- RADIOACTIVITY; *COCONUTS -- RADIOACTIVITY;
*FISHES -- RADIOACTIVITY; *FRUITS -- RADIOACTIVITY; *PAPAYAS -RADIOACTIVITY; *PLUTONIUM 239 -- RADIATION MONITORING; *PLUTONIUM 240
~- RADIATION MONITORING; *POTASSIUM 40 -- RADIATION MONITORING;
XPOTASSIUM 40 -- RADIOACTIVITY; *ROOTS -- RADIOACTIVITY; *STRONTIUM 90
-- RADIATION MONITORING; *STRONTIUM 90 ~-- RADIOACTIVITY; *CESIUM 137 -RADIATION MONITORING; *LEAD 210 -- RADIATION MONITORING; *PLUTONIUM 239
-~- RADIATION MONITORING; *PLUTONIUM 240 -- RADIATION MONITORING;
*RADIUM 210 -- RADIATION MONITORING; *RADIUM 226 -- RADIATION”
MONITORING; *SOILS -- RADIOACTIVITY; *STRONTIUM 90 -- RADIATION
MONITORING; *THORIUM 228 -- RADIATION MONITORING; *THORIUM 232 -RADIATION MONITORING; *URANIUM 235 -- RADIATION MONITORING; *URANIUM
238 -- RADIATION MONITORING; *CESIUM 137 -- RADIATION MONITORING;
x*COBALT 60 -- RADIATION MONITORING; *CRUSTACEANS ~-- RADIOACTIVITY;
*PLUTONIUM 239 -- RADIATION MONITORING; *PLUTONIUM 240 -- RADIATION
MONITORING; *POTASSIUM 40 -- RADIATION MONITORING; *xSTRONTIUM 90 -RADIATION MONITORING
Descriptors: EXPERIMENTAL DATA; FALLOUT DEPOSITS; ISOLATED VALUES;
MICRONESIA;
Broader Terms: ACTINIDE ISOTOPES; ACTINIDE NUCLEI; ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES;
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES; ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; ANIMALS; AQUATIC
ORGANISMS; ARTHROPODS; BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; BETA-MINUS DECAY
RADIOCISOTOPES; BETA-PLUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; CESIUM ISOTOPES; COBALT
ISOTOPES; DATA; DATA FORMS; ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES; EVEN-EVEN
NUCLEI; EVEN-ODD NUCLEI; FALLOUT; FOOD; FRUITS; HEAVY NUCLEI;
INFORMATION; INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI; INTERNAL CONVERSION
RADIOISOTOPES; INVERTEBRATES; ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES; ISOTOPES;

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