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OF THE

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

paiyAcy ACT MATERIAL REMOVED

6 April 1954
ment

*

pay

Or. Rokuso Kobayashi
Nationa} Institute of Health
Welfare Ministry
TOKYO
-

Dear Dr. Kobayaphit

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otsaaah othe

On March 26 we received two samples of urine from patients at
the Tokyo Univeristy Hospital. I am happy to be able to repore at this
time that the radioactivity of these samples is so low that the denosita
of fission products in the tissues of the two patients can be accr.pted
as well within the limits of snfety, The results follow:
720 disintegrations per minute per liter
510

”

"

"

ft

”

Data on the individual radio-isotopes will be tolegraphed to me

in another few days. It will then be possible for me to be mor quantitative in estimeting the dose from absorbed fission products, However,

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it is most certain that the storage of long-lived radio-isotopes is in-

significant in these men.

As you know, the rete of excretion of fisaion products at

given time after absorption beers a relationship to the quantites ue~
posited in the various tissues. The principal radiochemical constituents

at this time are due to Sr 89, LallO end the Rare Earths,

These are

isotopes which have relatively short half-lives and ard eliminated from
the body with comparective rapidity either by redioactive decay or <<
cretion. In the case of these patients, Sr9O is most certainly an insignificant fraction of the total absorbed redioactivity. The permissiole

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urinary excretion, considering the Ssotopcs involved, would be greater,
by a large factor, than the values reported above,

4

the fishermen is adversely affected by the fact that long-life bonoseeking isotopes are deposited in their tissucs. It 1a regrettable thot
the public continues to be misinformed in this respect. Coartainly the
results reported above argue convincingly thet only minimal, medic-lly
insignificant emounts of fission products have been ebsorbed into th:
tissues of the tre patiants for whom results are avails

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I note that the nowspapers continue to carry occnsional statements 2£ the Japanese investigators to the effect that the prognosis for

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