I, RONOEL.P and nlLDiGlaz
1. PRELDOM REMIKS: Following the general conference at Kwajalein on
20 April, there was an informal confdérunce betwen representatives of the
Survey Team and Dr. Jom Bugher, Mr, Merrill Eisenbud, end COR Cronicite and
ather members of Project 4,1, on the problem of sampling the Rongelap food
and water supply and the soil, Mr, J, Todgn (Marshall District Anthropologist:
supplied a detailed list of food materiale, with the relative iuportance-cf
each indicated, After considerable discussion of sampling methods, it
appeared to be generally agreed that decisions on this carmplex problem night
be postponed for the fatlowing asin reasons:
&. Unless the radiation dese rate on Rongelapshould be found to be far
less than that expected from prior surveys, there would be no possibility of
returning the natives to their homes for many months,
b. Current findings on emtamination of the food supply, althaigh of
considerable inherent value, would be of little use in predicting the state
of the food supply at sane distant future date when ths pecple aight return,
Tt was therefore decided that the exphasisg in the dgongelap survey would
be on external radiation seasurenents and on decontamination problems; that
although food, water and earth samples would be collected as permitted by
other work, no special effort would be made to chtain analyses of theese
samples as a basis for any conclusions of this report. At this time the
services of Lt. William Chapman, USN, were offered by Project 4.1 for the
collection of food and soil samples for intergsted agencies.
2. METHOOS: Gamma radiation dose rates, except where otherwise specified,
were made with one or more AN/PDR-39 survey instruments at about three feet
above ground level. Three such instruments were tdken om the expedition,
and they gave readings in good agreement with me ancther. Where contact
readings are specified, the bottom of the instrument we placed in cartact
with the surface in question,
The results of the analysis of the food are only qualitative. The
technique used in determining tho radioactive content of the various food
stuffs would be eensitive sainly to surface contamination. Self adsorption
of beta activity ws not evaluated. Precise measurements using score
sensitive technigies will be made by NROL and NYOO. The technique used
should detect contamination levels to appracimtely 60 DPM (4 I 10-5 uc)
on the surface of samples, however.
The specific activity of the water samples was obtained by evapomting
to dvynesa oe milliliter of each of the samples in a glass counting cup and
the aetivity in the resulting sample using « GM tube and Berkley
scaler, Bisuuth-2l0 wis used as the standard to convert CPM to aicro-curies
per milliliter. The specific activity of the water samples fram Rongelap
indicate values tht are roughly 10,000 times greater than the tolerance 2f
10-7 uc/ml beta activity cstablished by the National Buresu of Standarcs
eta’