AdQy f
{ouax :
The most probable dose from 33) is then 150 rad and the dose from
all isotopes if 510 rad. If we consider the range of thyroid burden (1.7 to
6.8 wCi) and the variation in thyroid weight (1.9 to 3.1 grams), the dose is in
the range of 200 to 1350 rad.
2. Oral Ingestion. At the time of the event, the Rongelap people were
on a water ration of 1 pint per day. They were warned not to drink vor
after the event, but most of them admitted they drank water anyway.
The
method of collecting water by runoff from the roofs into cisterns makes it
very likely that this was the main source of oral ingestion. There are reports that it "rained a little’ on the afternoon of March 1 (D-Day). The
village doctor reported that the water turned yellow." As far as food is
concerned, the moat likely source is dried fish. Fish were dried on open
racks. However, in the interviews none of them Hated dried fish as having
been eaten during the time before evacuation. !9 Under these circumstances
it fg reasonable to assume that children drank the same amount of water
and, therefore, had the same intake as adults; i.e., their thyroid burdens
er
ousax }
were also 11,2 uCi of 1!) (range 5.6 to 22.4 uCi).
The most probable dose from 331 is then 490 rad and the total dose
Considering a range in the thyroid burden (5.6 to 22.4 #Ci) and a
thyroid weight range of 1.9 to 3.1 grams, the rangeof total dose is 520 to
3300 rad.
1270 rad.
Incidentally, LASL. assumed this mode of intake and calculated a dose
of 150 rad.? The thyroid weight used was not given, but was probably 20
grams.
We would calculate 160 rad, in very good agreement with the LASL
estimate.
—
©
Ee en ma
Thyrotd dose (rade) to Rongelap girgle
ages 3 to 4.
Inhalation
.
Whole-body
Radiciodine
Total
Min
150
Max
200
Most
probable
175
f
OralIngestion
Min
Max
150
200
200
1350
350
510
1550
520-3300
685
670
3500
Most
probable
178:
1270
atas
6.8 pCi.
Assuming the Roagelap children are similar to those of New York
children, the mass of the thyroid of the children is 2.5 + 0.6 grams.
w. Mos fant
Gaank;
SUMMARY
maximum rate of oxygen intake’ and (b) from the vital capacity’ and maximum
respiration rate,
Both methods give aratio of about 0.3. The thyroid
burden of these children would then be about 3.4 wCi with a range of 1.7 to
ale cin
The ratio of volume of air respired by a 3- to 4-year-
1445
The actual intake waa undoubtedly a combin
ation of the two modes of
intake. The most probable dose is, theref
ore, in the range 700 to 1400 rad.
REFERENCES
‘Sondhaus, Sharp, Bond, and Cronkite, ''Radia
tion Characteristics of the
Fallout Material and Determination of the
Dose of Radiation," Chapter [
of TID-5358, Some Effecta of lonizing Radiat
ion on Human Beings.
P. Harris, personal communication, cited
by both References 3 and 4.
3conn, Rinehart, Gong, Robertson, Milne,
Bond, and Cronkite, "Internal
Deposition of Radionuclides in Human Beings
and Animals," Chapter V of
TID-5358.
‘Conn, Rinehart, Gong, Robertson, Milne,
Chapman, and Bond, "Internal
Radioactive Contamination of Human Beings
Accidentally Exposed to Radioactive Fallout Material," USNRDL-TR-86.
Ng, Yook, private communication (1964).
The fission yields for u23 with high-energy
neutrona as given by Weaver,
Strom, and Kiteen, NRDL-TR-633, were used,
Handbook of Biological Data, William B. Spector
, Ed., p. 352 (W. B.
Saunders, Philadelphia, 1956),
‘
umenta Geigy Scientific Tables, 5th Ed., p.
254 (S. Karger, Basel,
Switzerland, 1959),
Mochixviki, Mowafy, and Pasternack, Health Physics
, 9, 1299-1301
(1963),
1 Sharp and Chapman, “Exposure of Marsha
ll Islanders and American
Military Personnel to Fallout," WT-93
8 (1957),
TOTES -caReCISe ATeepeAETTpene +
Inhalation.
old girl to that of an adult can be estifnated in two ways: (a) from the
we
1.
-5-
+ ne
rr a ra
-
-4-