Radiochemical techniques indicated the prominence of 6575 in the tuna's edible
flesh.

If it was assumed 1) that 6500 was the principal contributor to the ex-

ternal photon count rate, 2) that a self~sufficient living pattern existed on
Utirik in which adults consumed 300 gms of fish each day (Na80), and 3) that 1%
of the fish eaten was tuna, then the daily activity ingestion rate might have

been 7x10° Bq d? } (2x10 72 yci d+) in May and June and 7x10° Bq d~ i
at) in July and August of 1954.

(2x10° uci

This method of estimating 6500 daily activity

ingestion rates yields a ten times greater estimate of total intake than the
total intake suggested by body-burden extrapolation techniques (see Eq. 2).

Al-

though the 6578 total intake estimate indicated for Utirik adults in Table 4 was

based on scanty data, it was made with fewer assumptions than was the above estimate using Japanese fishing data.

The validity of the 2395, data used to estimate the body burden at
Rongelap Atoll (see Table 1) in 1973 had been considered by an Energy Research
and Development Agency ad hoc committee.

The committee concluded that, because

of the possibility of contamination of the urine samples, these data were uncer~
tain.

This may indeed have been a factor since a radiochemical analysis of

BRAVO debris indicated Rongelap Atoll was contaminated with 23954 (T7355).

No

special precautions had been taken when the urine samples were collected in the
field, therefore, not much credence could be given to these data.
In 1976, three male adults at Rongelap Atoll provided urine samples for
2395, analysis.

Two yielded results below the minimum detection limit of

3.7x10* Bq 2 (10 £ci 27!) and one yielded 3.3x10 > Bq 2 (90 £ci 21).

the

average of these values along with the 1973 adult average data that was reported

by Conard (Co75) were used to derive potential body burdens.
listed in Table 1.

21

The results were

Select target paragraph3