C2

(1)

wo

where x) = gamma or beta decay rate at time t,;, and
x2 = gamma or beta decay rate at time to.
m

= decay exponent

During early times post BRAVO and for short time intervals of a few hours it
seemed Miller's decay exponents may have departed significantly from the standard value used for planning fallout activity decline (m = -1.2) and thus his
tabulations described the early decay of BRAVO fallout adequately.

These values

for m at different times post detonation of BRAVO were listed in Table 2.

The

overall decay exponent calculated from Miller's data for the period one hour to
sixty days post detonation was -1.2 and agreed with the standard value used for
decay of unfractionated fission products.” Thus, the impact on exposure rate due
to non-fission nuclides was not folded into Miller's tabulations and further

study was needed to establish BRAVO decay (0C68).
Surveys performed by the crew members of the USS PHILIP, the ship
dispatched to evacuate Rongelap Island, have recorded an exposure rate level for
Rongelap village of 1,473 mR nv average and 1,900 mR h_ 1 naximum at 2.2 days
post detonation (COMTASK GROUP 7.3 Disp 0208482 of March 1954, 0C68).

A similar

but less precise statement of the exposure rate at the time of evacuation was

given by Sharp (Sh57).

In order to reconstruct the BRAVO exposure rate decline

prior to evacuation and not use standard decay exponent (m # -1.2) additional
information about the arrival time and nuclide composition of the BRAVO fallout
activity was derived from Bikini Ash measurements.

Select target paragraph3