Since 1965, the distribution of >> Be in the biosphere has
been studied both in the United States and in the Scandinavian
‘countries.
Initially, >? Be concentrations were determined in
Alaskan Eskimos, residents of Richland, Washington,
representative foodstuffs of both
(1).
and in
Subsequently, 3356
concentrations in environmental samples and in residents of
Finland
(2)
and Sweden Q) were reported which generally confirmed
the findings of the earlier study.
Additional research shows
‘that (i) marine organisms and people whose diet is largely seafood contain the highest concentrations of 55 ne
(4);
(ii)
residents of the northern hemisphere have higher ar body
burdens than those of the southern hemisphere
(5);
and
(iii)
the
Fe levels in people reached peak concentrations in 1966 and |
continue to decrease (6,7).
We determined the 5556 body burdens of natives at Rongelap
Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
seafoods
Not only is their diet high in
(8), but the atoll received high-level fallout following
the detonation of a thermonuclear device at Bikini Atoll in
1954 (9).
We considered it probable that retention of re at the
atoll from that event,
coupled with world-wide fallout from large-
scale nuclear device testing in 1961-62 could lead to unusual
body burdens of this radionuclide in the Rongelapese.
Nhe method of separation of Fe was identical to that
previously described in this journal (1).
The counting technique