TABLE 3.2-——Radiochemical Analysis of Tissues and Urine of Pigs from Rongelap*
(82 days postdetonation)
Beta activity
(dis/min/total sample)
Sample
Gross
activity
sr®?
(x 1073)
(x 1073)
Total
rare earth
Bal“?
(x 107)
(x 1073)
Pig No. 24 (25.8 kg)
Skeleton (total)
Liver
Colon and contents
Lung(alveolar)
Stomach
Intestine (small)
Kidney
Remaining tissues
Total
Urine sample, 24 hr
Pig No. 25 (22.7 kg)
Skeleton (total)
Liver
Colon and contents
Lung (alveolar)
Stomach
8890
31
12
5660
0.40
5.0
1.5
0.22
660
0.33
2.4
1010
6.4
3.2
0.20
0.8
1.2
0.22
1.1
0.50 ©
0.51
3.3
0.21
0.42
0.74
2.3
0.62
690
9630
5667
13
665
8.7
8600
27
16
Li
2.0
1.3
1020
1.2
5100
0.53
5.0
0.26
0.29
530
0.20
3.2
0.23
0.13
1.6
,
690
5.5
4.9
0.33
0.30
Intestine (smal)
2.6
0.83
0.88
0.88
Kidney
3.1
0.14
0.19
0.52
Remaining tissues
Total
Urine sample, 24 hr
220
8870
5107
6.2
/
534
4.4
702
0.40
0.54
Summary
Gross beta activity
Skeleton
Total body
Urine (24 hr)
Sr 89
Ba 140
Rare earth
62.0
6.8
9.7
58.0
6.5
9.0
69.0
7.9
10.5
Total
78.5
73.5
87.4
* All values corrected for decay.
The excreta of the Utirik pigs contained less than 10 per cent of the gross beta activity
found in the excreta of the Rongelap pigs at the same time. This ratio of 10 was approximately
the same ratio found between the activity of the Rongelap and Utirik food, water, and soil
samples.
3.2.3
Radiochemical Analysis of Tissues and Excreta
Radiochemical analysis of pig tissues indicated that 62 per cent of the skeletal beta activity
was derived from Sr®, 7 per cent from Ba’, and 10 per cent from the rare-earth group at
82 days postdetonation (Table 3.2). The radioisotopic composition of the urine at this time was
very similar to that of the skeleton. This distribution of activity in the body of the pig probably
represents the distribution in human beings. The absolute amount of human internal contamination in the Rongelap group was, however, only thy of that found in the animals.
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