interest in terms of health lies not in the mere presence of radioisotopes,
but in the amounts and more specif.cally in the quantity of radiation
doses delivered by these radioisotopes. The levels of activity from
fall-out, outside the area surrounding the Pacific Proving Ground,
have beenfar less than any required to produce detectable injury either
from the radioisotopes within the body or from external radiation,
or from a combination of the two.
AMa at
Alain ola
CrviL DEFENSE
In its cooperative program to furnish technical advice and information relating to national civil defense preparedness, the Commission
participated in a number of special meetings and discussions. A
White House Conference for State Governors, arranged by the Federal
Civil Defense Administration included an address by Chairman
Strauss outlining AEC civil defense activities common to the national
security program. Sessions were held with staff members of FCDA
and the Department of Defense to determine current needs of FCDA
and the feasibility of future civil defense experiments during test
operations.
The AEC expressed a willingness to cooperate in all ways possible
in a civil effects test program comprising: Structures and associated
services and equipment; industrial participation; civil defense training
exercise; and observers and public media participation. Proposals
have been submitted on certain parts of the total program by FCDA.
These are being reviewed for feasibility pending official action on
®
i]
fot tek 9
BR oh
.
The radioactive isotopes to be found normally in the body are
potassium 40, carbon 14’and radium 226. The radiopotassium and
radiocarbon are distributed throughout the tissues while the radium
is almost entirely located in the skeleton. In addition to this
internal irradiation, man is subjected to cosmic rays from without
and to the gamma rays from radium in the soil. To this natural
- exposure, the radiation from bomb products is added. Thepoint of
ad
ws
also detectable in the urine of some humanisfor a short time.
tiie et
topes, such as iodine 131 (8-da y Thalt-life), were still present in the
_ fall-out. Although the amounts of radioactivity deposited. were
_biologically insignificant, it was possible, by special techniques, to.
demonstrate radioiodine in the thyroid glands and in the urine of ~
grazing animals. Extremely minute quantities of iodine 131 were’
sisi
Transportation of the radioactive materials to the United States
took only several days. Thus some of the shorter half-life radioiso-
Ot
deposited widely over the United States during the Pacific tests and
in some areas resulted in transitory rises of the normal background
radiation levels.
Onwy.Aa S Om oo =
JANUARY—JUNE 1954
i
54