UNCLASSIFIED Part Vil Biology and Medicine PROJECT SUNSHINE (UNCLASSIFIED) He59A The study of radioactive fallout by stratospheric sampling, soil analysis, and the openpot and gummed-paper collection systems, continued throughout the quarter. New programs to collect food and soil samples were initiated, and the sampling of human materials was expanded. Food samples had already been obtained from Turkey and the Philippines by teams of the Interdepartmental Committee on Nutrition for National Defense. Food Collection Programs in Latin America An AEC representative visited Chile, Argentina, Peru, and Brazil, July 20-—August 21, to enlist the assistance of persons involvedin national nutrition and food programsin the collection of foods providing the major sources of calcium in the diet. These samples are to be analyzed for their calcilum and strontium 90 content to ascertain the amount of strontium 90 that may be entering the food chain. Arrangements were madefor the collection of samples and shipmentto the Health and Safety Laboratory of the New York Operations Office for analysis. The results of the analytical work will be made available to the countries concerned prior to publication. Those countries which have the necessary equipment and capability will be provided with duplicate samples on which to perform their own analytical work. In Chile, the city of Santiago and five different geographical areas were selected for sampling wheat, flour, potatoes, green vegetables, and milk. In Argentina, milk, green leafy vegetables, and potatoes were being sampled from four geographical zones. In Peru, foods were being sampled from the arid coastal area, the high sierras, and the jungle area on the upper Amazon. In Brazil, a variety of foodstuffs, including local dried milk, was being sampled from five geographical zones. Since there are gummed-paper sampling stations in Brazil, it was planned to collect food samples at some of these locations to determine whether the gummed-paper and food analyses can be correlated. Plans were made for a second Latin American food collection program, to be undertaken by Dr. J. Laurence Kulp, Lamont Geological Observatory, Columbia University, late in 1957. Dr. Kulp intends to visit Ecuador, Bolivia, Guatemala, and Venezuela to obtain samples of food which might represent the primary calcium intake of more primitive populations in areas with soil of very low calcium content. The tropical and semitropical regions are especially suited for this study since most of the calcium is leached from the soils. A second purpose of Dr. Kulp’s trip is to improve communications and understanding at bone- sampling centers. Since the strontium 90 intake is highest in areas with soil of low calcium UNCLASSIFIED | 33