63
Note 8
fo determine whether or not the determination of specifi
activity of soil and plants made by the Livermore Laboratory
correct, a field trip took place in December 1987 during whi
samples were collected at 7 locations running the length of
as
ngelap
island and on 3 islands of Ailingnae Atoll. The samples wer
collected under the supervision of Dr. H. Paretzke by Liverm
technicians and Rongelap men. Senator Anjain and other Rong lap
citizens were present. The results show that the Livermore
technique is an acceptable one.
At each location, the exposure rate was measured, and i
found to check with the data reported in Table 4.1 #1.
was
The samples were frozen and shipped back to the Livermo e
Laboratory where they were divided so that one-half of each as sent
to Dr. Paretzke in Europe, the other being retained for anal sis by
Livermore. Dr. Paretzke shared his samples with Dr. Ute Boi at of
Bremen.
Each laboratory prepared its own material for analysis Jrom the
he
results from elsewhere.
frozen field material, and then analyzed it without knowing
The means of the results for Rongelap Island have been
inserted
into Table 4.2 #2,; the results from single samples have not been so
used since their agreement or disagreement with those previo sly
obtained would be fortuitous.
—
The results, corrected back to 1978, may be summarized
follows.
Drinking-coconut meat:
the mean and range of values fo
samples are: Boikat-Paretzke, 3.6 (1.1-6.2) pCi/gram-fresh;
Livermore, 4.4 (1.2-7.9) pCi/gram-fresh.
The assay of drinking-coconut meat can vary considerabl
because the more mature the nut, i.e., the closer it is to t e copra
nut, the higher will be the meat's specific activity. Int
present case, of the 7 samples (each composed of 5 nuts), 3 ere
typical of the drinking stage, 1 was questionably more matur , and 4
were intermediate between drinking and copra stages. It is
interesting to note that the cesium-137 mean for the 7 samp
4.3 pCi/gram-fresh, intermediate between the drinking nut (
pCi/gram) and the copra nut (6.2 pCi/gram) of previous
determinations (Table 4.2 #2).
For coconut juice taken from the nuts whose meat was a
above, the mean for 7 samples was 1.6 pCi/gram. Previous s
averaged about 1.3 pCi/gram (Table 4.2 #2).
(Cont
8 was
3
lyzeed
pling