-94)
Crude as these predictions are, they indicate that much value can
be gained from study of the Utah children.
If low doses of I?) are without
effect in infants, verification of this hypothesis would be of fundamental
importance in understanding the induction of radiation-induced cancer.
(Hopefully) never again may 250,000 additional infants be irradiated with
{32 and become available for observation.
The present study should reach
beyond a mere tabulation of possible effects.
Its prime objective should be
to establish the relationship between dose and damage:
this requires atten-
tion to the dosimetry in addition to the search for effects.
5)
Improvement in dose estimates should not be delayed any longer.
The
ground fallout pattern should be established for each one of the Nevada test
shots (the conventional meteorological trajectories for material passing
thousands of feet overhead are inadequate).
The actual deposition of fallout
should be evaluated by records of field gamma-ray intensities and fallout tray
beta-activities, when available.
When measurements are lacking, the deposi-
tion should be estimated from meteorological considerations.
The probable
fractionation (depletion or enrichment) of °°} relative to the other fallout
products should be determined whenever possible.
Possible changes in the
availability of fallout particles at various distances from the test site
should be considered.
From feeding records, the intake of P3? by milk cows in each milkshed
area should be established.
is used)
The intake is very low when uncontaminated feed
Prom 132 intake by the cow, I°3? contamination in the milk can
be calculated.
This should be done, at least for the major dairies.
From
the daily consumption of fresh milk, the human thyroid dose can be computed.
While it might be impractical to reconstruct the individual dose for
each person in Utah, this should be done for limited areas, such as St. George.
Separation of the infants drinking highly radioactive milk from those whose
milk was uncontaminated
(powdered, canned or from "cold" milksheds) would
provide the internal “control" group needed so badly for comparison.
The
average dose to infants throughout the rest of Utah could be established by
intensive study of a suitably selected representative sample (perhaps about
1000 children).
Certainly the individual doses should be reconstructed for
all children developing abnormal thyroid conditions to see if their doses
differ from the general population's.
In dose reconstruction, particular
DOE ARCHIVES
DE