1179 laboratory procedure. But now we can do the same thing with instruments that are stationary. CURRENT METHONE OF MONITORING Mr. Dexcan. in the body What about the measurement of the levels of cesium : ¢ that increasing in sophistication so me pou measures can detect levels that were previously undetect- e Let me answer that a little different). Several vears ayo no one Would have thought you could take a whole body counter intc the field. Now it is engineered to be taken out intothe field. | Mr. Descayn. You did early in 1975. But your first whole body count n in—— tr. McCraw. 74. tT. YATES. Isthat when you first detected the increase? Mr. McC That is the first measurement of cesium in people. We h icted what the Jevels would be. Mr. Dexcax. Were your measurements in accordance with the pre- diction t McCusmVes. All of the surveys that we have done have tende«| to support the earlier findings. We have gotten « better bodyof datu and more confidence in the radiation doses we are predicting. and we are looking e+ the actua! items of the diet and do nox have to rely on estimates of radioactivity in the foods that the people are eating. Mr. Drxcax. But your whole body counts in 74 were not alarming. It wasn't until vou went beck in 5 with your major resurveythat you ony the rise begin! 9” redict higher d heb Mi McCeiux. In 1975 we began to predict higher doses on tht basis of samples we had collected. In 1977 when the second whole body count was done the levels were a factor of ten higher than in 1974. FEDERAL STANDARDS AND CURRENT BIKIX) LEVELS Mr. Yares. Above the Federal sandards! McCue If I might explain about the standards. There are two numbers. One is for the loca! lation. The otheris for an individual where you know the individuals expcsure. We have not exceeded that individual number. We have seen levels approaching this lower number for the genera] ulation. We fee! that we can use the higher number or the standard because we are actually measuring the levels of radioactivity in individuals in the population. We know the distri; bution. We knowthehighs and we know the lows. Mr. Yarzs. Whois to aay that the Federal! standards are socurate! How do you know the Federal standards are acceptable! Wedon't. tr. Yates. Why do you establish standards and say if you come to “ha eendard everything is fine, and if you go abore this stan-jard it is .... 2u& How co you know theFederal standards are not carcinogenic! r_ Dear I think in the redistion protection field that we are conce we have another philosophy which is the lowest practicable solution to a problem and it is believed that the people who work with radiation wil} not receive— DOE ARCHIVES 5002813