BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LABORATORY
POLE A
Aor
ASSOCIATED UNIVERSITIES, INC.
UPTON, L.1.. N.Y.
TEL.
YAPHANK
REFER:
4-6262
November 22, 1961
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Dr. Charles L. Dunham
Division of Biology and Medicine
ZL
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
Germantown, Md.
Dear Chuck:
Here are the values for the internally-deposited radionuclides in the
Rongelap population as measured in February 1961.
The mean Cs!37 body burden of males and females of exposed and unexposed
populations, as determined by whole-body counting, does not differ significantly from the 1959 mean value. The mean 1961 Zn®5 body burden was about
1/6 of the value measured in 1959, a rather surprising drop. This year we
positively identified co® in this population with a mean level of 0.16
muc/kg body weight. This was possible because of the improved counting
equipment, larger crystal and 30-minute counting time employed.
The values for Sr? in the 24-hour urine samples collected are tentative
vaiues, since all the samples have not been analyzed and rechecked. We
have a composite 5-galion sample that is being analyzed and I suspect this
will give the best value for the mean level of urinary Sr*~. To date, on
the basis of the individual 24-hour samples analyzed, there is an average
increase in urinary sr20 concentration of 35% compared with the mean value
reported in 1959.
I hope this information will serve for the present.
I'm working on the
report of the entire set of data and hope to have it soon.
Please cail on
me if there is any further information that you need right now.
Sincerely yours,
Lex
Stanton H. Cohn, Ph.D.
Medical Physics Division
Medical Department
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