INTERNAL DEPOSITION OF RADIONUCLIDES
but those from a given hen were of uniform
weight. In 14 eggs studied, the shell and membranes weighed an average of 13.6 percent of
the whole egg weight, and the ashed shell
weighed 6.8 percent of the whole egg weight.
These values are within the normal range for
eggs of domestic hens.
The gross beta and gamma activities of the
shell, albumen and yolk were measured in the
tirst 50 eggs obtained, and the gammaactivity
of the shell was measured in the remainder of
the eggs. Anincreasing amount of gammaactivity appeared in the shells of the first few
eggs luid by each hen. The maximum gamma
activity was usually noted in about the eighth
egg laid. After the activity reached a maximum value, the subsequent eggs in the series
showed a general decline in activity. Two ex-'
amples of this phenomenon are illustrated in
Figure 5.6.
The highest gamma activity found in a single egg shell was 66,300 counts per minute,
measured at 60 days post detonation. For a
gamma energy of approximately 1 mev,this figure corresponds to 0.07uc. The yolks and albumens had muchless activity than the shells,
aS was anticipated. The average distribution
of gamma activity in the eggs is ziven in Table
5.11. The results of the radiochemical analysis
of two eggs are presented in Table 5.12.
The alkaline earths are the principal fission
products deposited in the shell. In the albumen
and yolk, the betu activity contributed by the
tlkaline earths was only a little greater than
that associated with the rare earths.
The pattern of depositionof the radioactivity
within the egg was also studied by means of
autoradiographs. .\ series of 50 eggs were
hard boiled, sectioned, and autoradiographs
were prepared of the cut surfaces. Only four
of the yolks of these 50 eggs were sufficiently
radioactive to produce autoradiographs (see
Fig. 5.7). These + eggs were Jaid on successive days by the same hen. There is a correlation between the rings of radioactivity in the
yolk and those of pigment.
The amount of activity removed from the
body of the chicken through egg laying is very
$81712 O—58#——7
89
Table 5.11.—Distribution of Gamma Activity ia
Chicken Eggs
' PERCENT OF
PERCENT OF
Total GamaMat TOTAL BETA
ACTIVITY
ACTIVITY
7
Shells.....-.--..-.----- {
81
Albumen_....-..-------
4
Yolks.......---.------- |
15
68
|
8
8
Table 5.12,—Radiochemical Analysis of Chicken
Eggs
:
SAMPLE
Beta
Activity,
Se
|
|
——
Egg No. 27
Yolk...” .,
Albumen.;
o/ma/Total
Tisst &
at 4
Montus Post Detonation
'
Bae
|
365 |
52
_
|
Rare | Gross BETA
i Eartas | ACTIVITY
546
663;
92
90
1, 560
260
Shell____. : 18, 080 | 3, 520 | 6,060 | 30, 000
Egg No. 29 |
Yolk...
Albumen_:
315]
45
;
825!
132 |
|
997
132 |
Sheil. _._. | 22, 300 [4 yoo | 7, 830
2, 178
316
38, 000
much greater than the amount excreted in the
urine and feces during the period of this study.
Egg production in the chicken represents a
unique form of natural decontamination.
5.46 Fertiliry and
Chickens
Hatchabilicy
Scudies
in
Fertility studies on the contaminated chickens were begun 314 months post detonation,
with the mating of hens and. reosters and the incubation of the eggs obtained. In the first
clutch of 20 eges, 4 were hatched. One of the
chicks had the crippling slipped-tendon condition, “congenital perosis,” which is not uncom-
mon. Radioanalysis of the chick tissues indiented that only a barely detectable amount of
radioactive material was transferred to the
chick, although the mother hen had at this time
an appreciable contamination.
in another hatch six months post detonation,
65 eges were incubated,
Of these, 28 were in-