RADIATION STANDARDS, INCLUDING FALLOUT
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placing emphasis on the fundamental relationship of radiation ex-
posure of total intake rather than on a specific item in the diet, such
as milk. Presently this system is in the developmental stage and includes 21 locations. Data on the dietary intake of radionuclides are,
in turn, related to radioactivity levels reported in pasteurized milk.
Supportive programs: In addition to the radiation surveillance network, the pastuerized milk network, and the institutional diet sampling
program, which are used initially to evaluate dietary intake, there are
several supplemental programs within the Department of Health,
Education, and Welfare which serve as a basis for study of the
vectors—air, water, and foods—by which radioactive materials reach
man. These programs are the Consumers Union study, which will
be described to you by Mr. Michelson; the national air sampling
network, which is operated by the Division of Air Pollution of the
Public Health Service; the national water quality network, which
is operated by the Division of Air Pollution of the Public Health
Service; the national water quality network, which is operated by the
Division of Water Supply and Pollution Control; and the drinking
water analysis program, which is operated principally by the Division
of Evironmental Engineering and Food Protection. They carry out
the field activities associated with these efforts with their staff and
with the State and local health, air, water pollution, and waterworks
authorities concerned.
The Consumers Union activity is financed by a direct contract with
the Division of Radiological Health, but the other networks merely
look to this Division for laboratory support.
An exception within the Department is the Food and Drug Administration activity which is carried out entirely by that agency.
In addition to measuring thelevels of radioactivity in environmental
media, an effort is also being made to determine, through research and
biological surveillance, the levels of strontium 90 and other radionuclides in the human body. This particular activity is an extension
of the work of Kulp and others which has become a Public Healtn
Service activity through an understanding with the Atomic Energy
Commission. Samples of human bones are being collected and will
be correlated on the basis of age, sex, height, and data andplace of
death. These data should be very useful in developing standards for
environmental radioactivity and in making projections of intake and
exposure.
As surveillance datareveals significant amounts of iodine 131 in the
environment, special studies have been and will be made to determine
the levels of iodine activity in manfor the purposes of assessing human
exposure to this isotope and planning, and if necessary, initiating
counter measures. This information will also be useful in developing
environmental protection standards for radioactive iodine.
These operational activities are supported by three regional laboratories, a laboratory quality control system, and research and investigative programs which are described in more detail in the bodyof this
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