CHAPTERIll Radiochemical Analyses Tables 24 and 25 show the radiochemical muscle of the rooster (40 percent of the total samples collected in late July 1956 and analyzed Ru'®-Rh™ and Zr*-Nb*®contributed the largest percentage of the total beta activity.” The AFL reports: . The Sr® values for food plants, except Tables 28 and 29 show the radiochemical analyses made by NRDLfor the February 1955 survey? and Tables 30, 31, 32, and 33 for the February 1956 survey. Table 34 shows addi- tional analysis of soils from the February 1956 survey including data on exchangeable calcium. Tables 4, 5, 6, 13, 14, 19, 20, 23, and 35 show analyses by HASL. In terms of a potential biological hazard the strontium-90 activity is of most interest. At one year post detonation NRDL reports: . In muscle and viscera samples of the animals from Rongelap, Utirik, and Rongerik, Sr® contributes approximately 0.5 percent of the total beta activity. Sr is present in an a approximately 1:1 ratio with Sr*. Since the Hunter and Ballou calculations indicate that Sr® and Sr® each contribute about 2 percent of the total beta activity at one year after fission, there does not appear to be any fractionation of radiostrontium into the soft tissues. As expected, most of the internally deposited radioactivity was found in the skeleton. “Tissues of a few marine specimen were analyzed for Cs’ (37-year half-life)* since this nuclide was present in high concentrations in water and coconut milk from this area. The stituted a few percent of the total beta activity. coconuts, collected in October 1955 approximate the theoretical proportion of mixed fission products activity” at 1.7 years, 4 percent. Coconuts contained 0.1 percent Sr® with appropriate correction for time of collection. .. . “.. In contrast to the strictly marine forms, the coconut crab, which feeds principally on Jand plants, had Sr® levels of 3 percent in the muscle and 12 percent in the hepato- pancreas orliver, where calcium salts are stored. The radioisotopes in salts leached from the carapace were found to consist entirely of Sr®-Y™, . ., . Radionuclides of Sr, Cs, Ce and their daughters did not accountfor the total activity in most (fish) samples analyzed. Complete fission product anelyses of samples collected at Eniwetok and Bikini Atolls indicate that non-fission-product radionuclides may account for more than half of the total activity in some fish. Zn contributes one-fourth or more of the total activity in shark muscle as determined by radiochemical analysis and confirmed by following the decay.” (Zn™ is not a fission tissues of the rooster and of the coconut crab product.) high fraction of Cs” activity was noted in the indicate the high percentage of Zn® in fish. *Bee Bection IV. contain significant amounts of Cs". *Newest estimates indicate 27.7-year half-life, A very The two-year survey by NRDL continues to ee eeten Aiea esa ere by AFL no radiostrontium was found. beta).* Further radioanalyses of marine specimensindicated that the rare earth group con- 3 DOE ARCHIVES ' ET ey analyses made by AFL for the 1954-55 surveys,? and Tables 26 and 27for the July 1956 survey.’ In two pools of 15 and 19 fish muscle