3
bid Neb debt
ee A.
~ Lhe
—
These data substantiate the general hypothesis, mentioned
earlier in this report, that the radioactivity in the tissues
appears co be due principally to mixed fission products.
Devi-
ations from & straight line in the curves might be due to
selective uptake, either by the tissues themselves or because
there was selective uptake in the animals used as food by the
f'shes.
In general the slope of the curves compares favorably
with the average decline curve used for all food items discussed
at the beginning of this report.
.
Differences between the omnivorous and carnivorous fishes
'
as to amounts of radioactivity in comparable tissues were greatest on March 26, 1954.
These differences decreased with pass-
age of time ...d by January 29, 1955, were negligible in some
tiseuus (Figure 4, Table III).
These same data when analyzed
hy d:2inite species of omnivorous fish (damselfish) and car-
nivorcus.fish (grouper) show the same trends (Table III).
Variation in radioactivity, associated with area and re-
lavsd to fellout and current movements within and “round the
HLoil,
indieates en increase in the contaminstion of the atoll
from south to north (Figure 5, Tabte IV}.
The Lagoon fish
taxen in the northern part of the legoon, crf Kabel: cr Mell:
Talend, are comparable in levcis of radioactivity to ~eef fishes
‘akon in this region.
The two flying fish taken cutatce the atoll
are remarkably alike in tissue radicactivity-.
2u