IX
solution was then divided and delivered to the various
"specialists" who processed their portion of the solutia
to determine the exact strength of the substance for which
they were testing,
Preliminary readings were obtained,
then more precise radiochemical processes applied, and
the final exact findings were tabulated by automatic
devices,
Decontamination of sampling aircraft remained a tremendous job
throughout HARDTACK,
26
He recalled an attempt to obtain samples which
proved to be costly both in man-hours and exhaustion of radiatim levels,
"On this attempt, I was in charge of securing the samples from a device
buried at the point of detonation,
Radiation levels were so intense
that one hour was the limit for a man to work at the recovery site.
used 200 men, one hour each, to recover the sampling device,
We
That
experiment was another of the many which established that mamed
.
2
aircraft cloud sampling was the least expensive and most efficient,"
All aircraft returning to Eniwetok which could possibly be
decontaminated were monitored and those requiring decontamination were
isolated,
center,
Aircrews immediately processed through the decontamination
When time permitted, aircraft decontaminated themselves in
isolation through radioactive decay,
This technique insured least
radiation exposure to the decontamination personnel since the intensities
approximately halved themselves each seven hours.
After decay, the
remainder of the contamination was removed from the aircraft through
normal washing with chemicals, water and high pressure hoses,
Through
a conservative, yet realistic radiological safety program, Operation
19h
SWEH -2-003);
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44 e