-

’

.

a TOE

—lle

-

microcuries per cubic meter averaged over 24 hours,

The hailstones were collected and melted down to examine the

water for radioactivity. The activity measured on tpe third day after detonation by the Naval Research Laboratory was 2 x 10°” microcuries per cubic

centimeter, and by the Division of Biology and Medicine, 3.2 x 10-9 and

1.6 x 10°" microcuries per cubic centimeter. These values may be compared
to the maximum permissible concentration of 5 x 107
-3 microcuriesper cubic

centimeter for drinking water, which is based on the assumptions that all

of the water intake will be from the same source and consumed at this —
concentration continuously. Of course, the activity decays rapidly according to well-established principles.

Data have also been obtained by the Naval Research Laboratory
showing that activity in the center region of the hailstones was approxi-

mately = times greater than in the peripheral region. (®né-ef

VII - PRODUCTION
Feed Materials

Uranium production. The feed material operations continued without incident. Although the production of UO3 and UF, was less than scheduled, the production of machined slugs remained on schedule.
UF, feed preparation. Uranium hexafluoride production decreased

2.4 percent from the previous month.

Maintenance work requirements, prin-

cipally in the fluorine generators, largely accounted for the decrease.
Production of vranium tetrafluoride increased 22.2 percent above that in
April. This substantial increase resulted from the use of a recently developed experimental vertical hydrofluorinator and the use of a quantity
of vranium trioxide received directly from Hanford.
This material proved
to have a higher reactivity than material which is purified at Harshaw.
Test quantities of UO3 having impurities in excess of current specifications are being shipped directly to Oak Ridge to determine the maxinum

level of impurities which may be tolerated in the UF6 feed plant. The bulk

of Hanford's UOz continues to be shipped to Harshaw for purification.

_—_

tte eb to

pee oremtee
Port,

2S
*

The use of more reactive material results in increased output of
tetrafluoride of high purity, which in turn requires less fiuorine for
conversion to the hexafluoride.
Since the fluorine supply is a controlling

°

Eee

OE ARCHIVES

Select target paragraph3