ta

CHAKRAVARTI

Table 1. Description of food rations collected at
Rongelap Island in September, 1959 (each sample
is a 24-hr ration).

‘eaten boiled.
a chowder or

wt The 9 >
the sun aiice

Total

Sample
no.

3.

1

-d or boited,

Deseription

a) Pandanus paste. boiled
rice

y rec

b)

‘ain island or
2

pomarny on
n the area ts

_ wheat dour,
ar to be the

products are

sh as sardines,

ndy. In 1058

ere consumed.

iported foods.

‘HODS
uring
~:
} at Rongelap

osition and the
amposition and
tividual. (Bwio
4 Neil Morviss,
urist at Runee‘he authors coluf the sampres
uples were then

+ tae

4

a

ep bo oeenut seat teen.
b) Pandanus “pie”
¢) Baked fish

30
16
2

a) Breadfruit, baked
b) Coconut and bread dough,

73.85

4

6

Pot ree

if miscellancous
v rations of prew samples com-

ially seen to be

any samples of
ne samples protod.
epancies. Sample

7

8

<telh Catuia
of obtaming

quantitative data an these areas.

The components of
constant weight in
(Table 1}. The entire
then homogenized in

cach sample were dried to
the laboratory at Seattle
diet for each individual was
water with a high-speed

blender, ured at 98°C, and pulverized to a tne

tat, protein, carbohydrate, and radiochemical anal-

yses. Portions weighing 40-250 g were wet-ashed
with HNQOs and H:O:, and the ash dried in 250-ml
87.42

beakers for gamma-ray spectroscopy.

24

31
17
13

boiled

49

peak and subtracting the background counts. The
counting efficiency for the gamma energies meas-

a) Coconut, ripe
b) 13 papaya

72
37

(321.69

gl
243°
80
197

203.16

a)
b)
¢)
d)
e)

Breadfruit. baked
Coconut w baked dough
Fish, baked
Bread, local
Coconut, entire

203
203
126
75
50

484.10

t>

Rice, hoiled

201

a) Pandanus keys. raw
b) Goatfish, baked

WS
26

c) Sardines, canned

101

dd) Rice, hoiled

721

a) Fish, baked
b) Bread. local

155
145

c) Rice, boiled

a) Rice and Ash mixed
b) Rice and fish mixed

314.90

440.50

with standards with an error of + 10%.

(1958), in which a combination of nitric acid precipitation and ion-exchange procedures is used.

Calcium was determined by permanganate titration of oxalic acid and confirmed by fame spectrophotometry, with the internal standard technique
ot Chow and Thompson (1955). Potassium was
determined by flame spectrophotometry at 766-mya
wavelength, and independently confirmed with estimation uf potassium by titration of the cobaltinitrite with potassium permanganate ( Hibbard and
Stour, P33
Soditm was trumpet ot FSO.
wavelength. The standardization procedure and
general function of the system have been described

by Chakravarti and Joyner (1960).
In determining magnesium, an aliquot of the
ashed sample was dissolved in O.1N HCI and the
solution passed through a Dowex-30) N& 100-200
resin column of precalculated capacity. Intertering
anions were removed by elution with two-column

volumes of distilled water. The resin was then
stripped of cations with three-column volumes of

66

94

622

421
64

ured was determined by calibrating the instrument
Following analysis by gamma <nectro-ccpy. the
ashed samples were dissolved in a known volume
of IN HNOs. Strontium-90 was determined on an
aliquot by the method of Kawabata and Held

06

a) Rice and fish mixed
b) Bread, local
c) Rice

d) Sardines, canned
“

from oa
omady at) Miajuro
cuinted wut tne ditficulties

baked

c) Bully beet

2g, appears to be

jgunt consumed.
come “snacking,”
upese are irregt-

81084.
C1937)

powder. Subsamples of the powder were taken tor

mi~

mne Rongelapese

Thererore, all of the samples

collected © Table te should probably be considered
es comms tewerd the qaw side dur total consumption, However, there does appear to be a reasonable agreement with «quantities listed by Murai

c) Bread
d) Bully beef
e) Ship's biscuit

milk, not saved)

5

41

lar and it was impractical to follow each individual
throughout the day.

The gamma-counting equipment consisted of a
3-in. thallium-activated sodium iodide crystal used
in conjunction with a 256-channel analyzer with a
digital print-out. The total counts per minute
under the photopeak were calculated by summing
counts per minute of all channels included in the

a) Bread, local «coconut

ng to be reason‘

374.08

252

195

Co dec ahe disi mune

4

253

c) Bully beet sandwiches

f) Rice w/coconut milk,

e University of

rea trite

Partly baked bread dough
with bully beet

d) Sardines, canned
2
e) Boiled rice w/coconut milk 249
3

Ansanitt Mage 8 By >See bes ot

season, °°

AEEIA> ae oar vet

“h potable in

Poon eadb ned

Cmined

form onty an
ley are used
ese are vVisit-

Wet wt. dry we
(er)
(z)

AND HELD

2N HCI, and the eluate was neutralized to methyl

262.30

orange with concentrated NH,OH.

Calcium was

removed by precipitation with ammonium oxalate
iollowed by boiling and filtration. The filtrate was

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