ation in penetration into the ground; i.e. all the isotopes
have roughly the same local depth distribution.
If these
two assumptions hold, one can calculate the percentage of
the total exposure rate due to each emitter in the vicinity
of the soil sample site since the ratios of exposure rates
per unit concentration for the various isotopes in question

vary hardly at all with assumed depth distribution in the

soil for relaxation lengths of 1 to 4 cm?’°.
Thus, to
determine the percentage of the total exposure rate due to
a given isotope one need not know the average isotopic depth

distribution over the area as a whole, from what depth the
soil sample was taken,

or whether the total activity of the

sample is representative.

The first assumption is probably quite reasonable.
We
tested the second assumption by using the gamma spectrometric
analyses of the soils taken at the three sites where profiles

were obtained on Bikini Island.
We give below the percentage
of the total sample activity due to each isotope as a
function of depth for these sites.
data is given in Table 2.

The actual concentration

PERCENTAGE OF TOTALy-RAY ACTIVITY*

Depth

**" Cs

°° Co

**®* Sb

Other**

Location 7 - Bikini
0-1"
1-2"
2-3"

84%
82%
71%

3%
2%
1%

8%
12%
23%

5%
4%
5%

16%
18%
14%

7%
4%
10%

Location 5 - Bikini
0-1"
1-2"
2-6%

65%
66%
71%

12%
12%
5%

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