RMI Nuclear Justice Documents

a teti a . seta te ately at aL UNCLASSIFIED BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE increase is expected, future medical surveys should include close checks on these body burdens. levels of , OCCUPATIONAL RADIATION EXPOSURES OF AEC AND AEC-CONTRACTO PERSONNEL, 1958 A summary of occupational radiation exposures received by AEC and AE personnel during calendar year 1958 is as follows: -contractor 1. About 99.7 percent of all radiation exposures were less than the Sirem which is the recommended maximum average annual whole body dose for occupdtional ex- posure. a, 2. About 91 percent of all exposures were less than 1 rem total dos 3. There were 12 exposures reported as equal to or greater than th mended maximum yearly permissible dose of 15 rem. Aji of these were accidental radiation exposures and have been investigated in detail. The data summarizes the exposures received by 71,868 employees at 97 contractor facilities, and indicates that radiation protection operations are average levels of personnel exposures achieved in previous years. In 1955, the last summary was prepared, there were 302 exposures higher than the 5 maximum average annual whole body dose for occupational exposure.* In 19 em recommended there were only whose occupation subjected them to the potential risk of radiation exposure 8 much greater 188 such exposures, or 38 percent fewer than in 1955, although the number o people in 1958 than in 1955, FALLOUT STUDIES Hearings on Fallout from Nuclear Weapons Tests Hearings on fallout from nuclear weapons tests were held before the Sptcial Subcommittee on Radiation Effects of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy on May 5—8.{The testimony presented by the many scientists engaged in laboratory studies and evaluatién of hazards resulting from weapons testing updates many important aspects of the inforfmation presented to the subcommittee in 1957. Removal of Radioactive Strontium from Milk The feasibility of removing radioactive strontium from milk has been demonstrated in laboratory experiments at the University of Tennessee-AEC Agricultural Hesearch Laboratory. Using a form of ion exchange resin, it has been found possible to renpve up to 94 percent of radioactive strontium from separated (skimmed) milk without the ldss of calcium from the milk. Other effects of this treatment upon the quality of the milk are er study. Radio- active strontium associated with cream may be removed by repeated diluti§n of the cream with water, followed by the separation of the cream from the water. Because of the promise of this work the Department of Agriculture w courage them to conduct research in this area. If such researchis initiate contacted to en- and showssuffi- *See Twenty-first ‘Semiannual Report of the Atomic Energy Commission to the Gongress, July— December 1956, pp. 165-8. “4 _ : —- UNELASSIFIED DOE ARCHIVES — on he. “te : wate.