C
Therefore, the appropriate thyroid samples would be
from thyroid tissue obtained after a nuclear test of
interest. Additional pathological samples obtained just
prior to the test of interest would be needed to correct
for environmental iodine 129. In this connection, note
that little stratospheric fallout was present during the
1951-55 tests for which dose estimates are most
urgently needed.
James Arnold (Kansas City General Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri) has pointed out that if milk samples taken from contaminated areas at the time of contamination can be located, these might be suitable for
iodine 129 analysis.
A final suggestion:
it might be possible to use
strontium 90 or cesium 137 as radioactive indicators.
All are retained on pasture vegetation with a biological
half-time of about thirteen days.*? All are absorbed by
the cow, transferred to milk and assimilated by man.
Strontium 90 has the advantage that it is not vaporized
during sample ashing. Cesium 137 is easily detected
non-destructively by gamma counting. The biclogical
half-times of retained cesium 137 and iodine 129 in
the bodies of adult humans are roughly the same,
(three months).
For example, cesium
137 can be
evaluated by total body counting without the necessity
of removing samples. The cesium 137 to potassium 40
ratio can be evaluated even in poorly preserved tissue.
Once again, it must be acknowledged that the above
methodsare possibilities rather than proven methods of
procedure. But, if practicable, any or all of these
methods could be of great value in establishing better
estimates of dose.
REFERENCES
1. Pendleton, R.C., C.W. Mays, R.D. Lloyd, and A.L. Brooks,
“Differential Accumulation of Iodine 131 from Local Fallout in People and Milk,” Health Physics Journal 9:12,
1253-1262 (1963).
2. Radiological Health Data II, 1], pg. 443 (Nov. 1962).
3. Federal Radiation Council Report No. 2, (Sept. 1961).
4. Thompson, G.D.C., et al., “Utah’s Experience with Radioactive Milk,” a joint report by the Utah State Dept. of
Health and the Salt Lake City Dept. of Health, 17 pages
( October 1962).
5. Congressional Fallout Hearings {20-27 August 1963) U.
S. Government Printing Office: see pp 915-1082 for the
report of Harold Knapp; pp. 601-672 and 1113-1123 for
the testimony of Eric Reiss and the St. Louis Committee
for Nuclear Information, pp. 536-563 and 1111-1112 for
the testimony of Charles W. Mays. (An excellent summary
of the Knapp Report appeared in Nature 202: 534-537
(1964) The CNI testimony also appeared in Nuclear Information, Aug. 1963.
1959 Congressional Fallout Hearings, pages 19] and 208.
Lindsay, S., and I.L. Chaikoff, “The Effects of Irradiation
on the Thyroid Gland with Particular Reference to the
Induction of Thyroid Neoplasms: A Review,” Cancer Research 24:7, 1099-1107 (August 1964).
8. Mustacchi, P., and S. J. Cutler, “Some Observations on
the Incidence of Thyroid Cancer in the United States,”
New
England
(1956).
Journal
of
Medicine
255:19,
889-893
9. Winship, T., and R.V. Rosvoll, “Childhood Thyroid
Carcinoma,” Cancer 14: 734-743 (Aug. 1961); also see
The Lancet, pg. 141 (18 July, 1964).
12. Russell, R. Scott, and other members of an L.C.R.P. task
group, “The Evaluation of Risks from Radiation,” Health
Physics oJurnal 12:2 239-302 (1966) see pg. 251.
13. Doniach, 1., “Effects Including Carcinogenesis of Iodine
131 and X-rays on the Thyroid of Experimental Animals:
A Review,” Health Physics Journal 9:12, 1357-1362
(1963 }.
14. USPHS press release on thyroid studies in Utah and Arzona (16 March 1966).
15. Starr, P., H.L. Jaffe, and L. Oettinger, “Late Results of
Iodine 131 Treatment of Hyperthyroidism in 73 Children
and Adolescents,” Journal of Nuclear Medicine 5, 81-89
(1964).
16. Sheline, G.E., S. Lindsay, K.R. McCormack, and M. Ga-
lante, “Thyroid Nodules Occurring Late after Treatment of
Thyrotoxicosis with Radioiodine,” Journal of Clinical Endocrinol, Metabolism 22, 8-18 (1962).
17. Conard, R.A., and A, Hicking, “Medical Findings in Marshallese People Exposed to Fallout Radiation,” Journal of
the American Medical Association 192:6, 457-459 (1965),
also see Book of Abstracts, 3rd International Congress of
Radiation Research, Cortina, Italy, Abstract 221 (1966).
18. Federal Radiation Counci] Report Number5, {July 1964).
19. Edwards, R.R., “Iodine 129: Its Occurrence in Nature and
Utility as a Tracer,” Science 137, 851-853 (14 Sept. 1962).
20. Weaver, L.E., P.O. Strom and P.A. Killeen, “Estimated
Yields for Severa] Neutron-induced Fission Processes,” U.
S. Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory Report USNRDL-TR-633, see page 30 (5 March 1963).
10. Dolphin, G.W., letter of 12 April 1966 to C.W. Mays,
quoting results of Campbell et al., British Medical Journal,
pg. 1370 (30 November, 1963).
21. Bernard, S.R., et al., “Human Thyroid Uptake and Bodily
Elimination of I-131,” Health Physics Journal 9:12, 1307-
11. Beach, S.A., and G.W. Dolphin, “A Studyof the Relationship Between X-ray Dose Delivered to the Thyroids of
Children and the Subsequent Development of Malignant
Tumors,” Physics in Medicine ¢ Biology 6 (1961-1962).
Thompson, S.E., “Effective Half-life of Fallout Radionuclides on Plants with Special Emphasis on Iodine 131,”
U. of California Lawrence Radiation Lab. Report URCL-
dugust, 1966
n
bo
1323 (1963).
12388 (29 Jan. 1965)
DOE ARCHIVES
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