79

INTERNAL DEPOSITION OF RADIONUCLIDES

detonation was about 4 uc. The distribution
of activity in the individual tissues is shown in
Table 5.8. Over 90 percent of the beta activity
was localized in the skeleton. The highest activity in a soft tissue was found inthe liver,
which had, however, less than 0.5 percent of the
total body burden. The colon contents hadthe

riod. Radioanalysis of the excreta was performed in the same manneras that of the tissue
samples, described above.
5.42

Findings and Interpretation

Gross Observations, The animals had been
free on the islands. Although malnourished,
they showed no other evidence of disease.
Autopsy of two chickens which died during
shipment revealed no pathological findings that
could be associated with radiation.
On the basis of an assumed 12-houreffective
fallout time, the animals from Rongelap received an integrated external dose of 280 to
360 r, depending onthedate of their collection
(see Table 5.7). The pigs from Utink received
a calculated dose of 32 r at the time of their
evacuation. The animals all showed extensive
external contamination, ranging from 0.5 to
5 mr per hourat 30 days post detonation. This
activity was reduced about 75 percent by a
washing with water alone.
Radioactivity of Tissues and E'xcreta. The
gross beta activity of the pigs at 82 days post

second highest activity for the soft tissues, about

0.24 percent of the total. The alveolar tissue
of the lung had an activity less than 0.02 percent of the total activity in the body.
Gross beta and gammaactivity of the chickens at 74 days post detonation was approximately 0.2 pe. The gross activity per body
weight of the chicken is approximately the same
as that of the pig. The distribution of activity
in the tissues of the chicken (Table 5.9) was
verysimilarto that in the pig. Most respiratory
‘adio activity was localized in the turbinates,
asa result of entrapment of the large particles,
which could not penetrate to the alveolartissue.
The beta activity in the skeleton of chickens
at 160 days dropped to + percentof the value at
24 days post detonation, while in the same period the gammaactivity dropped to 0.2 percent

Table 5.9.—Beta and GammaActivity of Chickens From Rongelap (uc x 10°)

DAY oF DEaTH**__.
DAY ANALYZED**__..
TISSVE

HEN #t

HEN #2

HEN #39

HEN #6

HEN #35

HEN #7

HEN #24

DayY 23

Day 23

Day 74

Day 97

Day 121

Day 138

Day 189

Day 24

Day 24

BETA GAMMA|

BetA GamMa!

Day 79
Beta

Day 107

GAMMA

Tibia... 222222222 eee

7600

3850

8180

4610

133

695

Skeleton .......2-22--

T1030

55800

11900

66900

1930

8600

119

21

352

271

12

72

Liver... 2.222 2.22_ e

BETA GAMMA!
253
3670°
a4

140—
79
—

7.5
12.2

1.2
9.3

0
4.5

0.3
0

3.0

63

—

140

10.7

3.9

0, 29

_
9.0

3.0
—_
1.4
9.0

—
_
14.2

_
—
_
10.0

8.4
_
_
14.9

a
_
0, 75
0
_
0, 26
—
12.4
0.78
0.23

0. 57

4.0

2,0

1.4

4.5

5.6

4.3

0. 24
3. 87

2.0
19

1.0
22

1.7
15,3

«3.7
7.6

09
_

0.2
_

Gizzard (content)....;
Crop_......---2--------|
Intestine (L) and
contents......-2---.]
Intestine (S) and
contents.__..--.---_|
Pancreas..-.---------}
Spleen..._.-- 22-2 ee}
Kidney.__.-__.-__.--

.22----2---2
weeeeeeeeeee

Leelee eee
[eee ee eee eee

0. 93
0. 43

—
5.0

_
2.0

2-2 -.- 2 eee

Leelee _—

0. 63

10.0

----------------------eee eee
198
46

Leto eee ee
---------Lee eee
12 ene Le

1.6
0.16
_1.17

4.0

26

eeeceeeeeeee
Ulett

17

28

-.---------- Lo
---22--e-ee.

0

*Calculated using ratio of gamma activity skeleton/tibia.
**Day post detonation.

8.1
117, 5*
18

7.9

8.5

7.6

W7700«13.5

33. 2
437

0.6

VW

(Alveoli)___.

31.3
454*

GamMMa

3.6

4.1

33

41.3
- 00

Day 159
Beta

10.7

eeee eee eee

32

50
850*

Day 146
BETA GamMa!

7.9

----2-------

Lungs

215.5
3120

GAMMA]

10. 3

Gizzard..___..--.--.-|

Trachea...-..---.----|
Turbinates...-..-..--[

Day 122
BETA

16.8

—_
_—

0. 83

—_
_

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