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IV.

INTERNAL CONTAMINATION OF ANIMALS

At the time of the fallout on Rongelap Island there were a
variety of animals present.

These were leftto live on the Island,

and representative numbers were collected on the 8th, 25th, 33rd, and
5ist-53rd days and then sacrificed.

Tables Thirty-seven, Thirty-eight,

and Thirty-nine, show the relevant data concerning external doses to
the animals while living on the Isiand, and an analysis of their in-

ternal contamination.
Over 90 percent of the activity in the body of animals was in

the akeleton.

At 92 days past detonation, 62 percent of the skeletal

beta activity of the pige was due to er89 seven percent Ha

percent rare earth group.

140 and 10

However, it was reported that "---In the six

months periodpost detonation neither significant gross changes nor

pathological changes which could be definitely ascribed to radiation

were detected in any of the animis."©

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Table Forty shows the activity of a rooster and rats collected
two years post aetonation.°

The gross activity in the rooster was ho

percent of that of a rooster fram the same locality at one year post

detonation.

About 86 percent of the total body activitywas in the

Bkeleton. |
Since these animals represented interesting cases of living

continuously in a heavily contaminated environment, an analyses was
made later of some rats and a rooster collected at the two year

period (Table Forty~one).”

These data are obviously not complete

nor precise but do indicate the relatively low body burden of
Btrontium-90.
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