144 DASA 2019-2 TAYLOR: I would like to ask two questions that are related to a possible lesson from the Bikini experiences that might apply to a nuclear war situation. One can certainly visualize circumstances in which there is heavy fallout in an area and there are shelters of some kind available, but io the process of getting into the shelters people are subjected to some amount of fallout. The question is how important is it likely to be that they decontaminate themeeclves to get rid of any surface activitiy that is clinging to them that 1s gamma radioactive? Is there any estimate of what fraction of the total body dose the natives got that wa: due to gammia emitters that was in the white ash that stuck to their bodies and would follow them into the shelter if they had gone to one? CONARD: It was avery amall proportion. Usually they say the beta-gamma ratio is about i00 to |, so they were getting about 100 times more beta radiation on the skin than they were from the gamma. TAYLOR: So the necessary decontamination would be to get rid of the source of beta burns? CONARD: Yes. AYRES: Is this 100to ) ratio based on specific studies? CONARD: 1 think this is just a general statement from my understanding of it. AYRES: Well, I've heard numbers like that but the only pertinent research lam aware of was done by Steve Brown (Reference 33) at SRI about two years ago. It suggests rather smaller ratios more like 25 to 50 to 1. CONARD: I've heard that: it’s controversial, I'm sure. AYRES: They have actually taken the fission spectrum and done detailed calculations for the first time to my knowledge. CONARD: AYKES: But, even so, that's quite a ratio. Yes. WARREN: unnecessary. It's a useful number. I wouldn't like to leave the impression that I think it's I think the precaution.....