Cpeaeeeireee drinking water supplies would be principally in saluble form. ‘The water collected fram a well and a cistern on the Island of Rongelap (Table Three) about 21 months after the March 1, 1954 fallout, was found to have about 80 percent of the activity in the filtrate, but there was arLindstecminod.. amount that settled to the bottom. Other data suggest the material to have been about 10-20 percent soluble in water. In the event contaminated food is ingested it is possible that the total activity--soluble and insoluble--may find its way ‘into the gastrointestinal tract since at times immediately following a fallout most of this activity probably would come from the surface ‘contamination rather than the Boil-plant-animal cycle. There may then follow same solubilizing in the acid stomach with subsequent removal from the tract before reaching the lower large intestine. It is assumed for these calculations that (m) 90% of the fallout material is insoluble when computing doses to the gastrointestinal tract, and (b) that the isotopes of fodine, strontium, and barium are all soluble when computing doses te the thyroid and to the bones. These assumptions are probably conservative, i.e. they may overestimate samewhat the rediation @XPOBUTeGB. B. ' Biological Significance, After the estirktion of radiation doses by any procedure the firal Btsp is an evaluation in terms of biological effects both for short and Jong term. _8- DOE ARCHIVES