INTERNAL DEPOSITION OF RADIONUCLIDES Fertility of the hens and hatchability of the eggs produced by the mating of contaminated roosters and hens showed no effect of radiation. The baby chicks hatched from these eggs are growing normaliy, and the amount of radioactivity in their tissues is barely detectable. While the administration of the combination of zirconium citrate and sodium EDTA to chickens doubled the excretion rate of fission products, the rate at this long time after exposure was so low that the body burden was little affected. In the 6 month period post detonation neither significant gross changes nor pathological changes which could be definitely ascribed to radiation were cletected in any of the animals. Gross beta activity of urine and tissue samples indicated that all the unimals had significant internal contamination. The level of internally deposited radioisotopes in the pigs from Rongelap was ten times the amount in human beings from this area. The difference in the amount of internal contamination of the animals and the human beings was the result of the pro- longed stay of the animals in the contaminated aren. The chickens were found to have the same concentration of radloisotopic material per unit of body weight as the pigs. Allof the animals remaining will be observed throughout their lifetime for the possible ap- pearance of any long term biological effects resulting from their exposure to external and internal radiation. Biblography 1. Hamilton, J. G.;: The metabolic properties of the Assion products and Actinide elements, Rev. Med. Physica 260: 718, 1948. MBITI2 O—Wi— 91 . Abrams, R., et al.; Metabolism of inhaled fission product aerosols, PPR, 226, 5.16 (CH-~3483: MDDC-248). U. S. Atomic Energy Commission. . Bloom, W.: Histopathology of irradiation from external and internal sources, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1948. . Kikuchi, T. et al.: The radioactive dust from the Nuciear detonation. Bulletin of the Institute for Chemical Research. Supplementary [ssue Kyoto, November 10954. . National Bureau of Standards Handbook 52 (Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C.), 1953. . Cowan, F. P., Farabee, L. B., and Love, R. A-: Health physics and medical aspects of a strontium” inhalation incident, Am. J. Roent., Rad, Ther. and Nue, Med. 67%: 805, 1952. . Looney, W. B., Hasterlik, W., Brues, A. M., and Skirmont, H. Late effects of the eurly medical and industrial use of radivactive material. imer. J. Roentgenol. LX XIT, 1006-10387, 1955, . Looney, W. B.: Late effects (25-40 years) of the early medical und industriul use of radioactive material, Presented in part ut the 23th unnual session of American College of Surgeons, Chicago. UL, April 9, 1954. . Hunter, H. F., and Ballou, N. EL; Fission-product decay rates, Nuctconics 9: 1951. . Harris, P.: Personal communication, 1974. . Foreman, H., and Hamilton, J. Go: The use of chelating agents for accelerating excretion of radioelements AEC D4357, 1951. . Cohn, S. H., Gong, J. K., and Fishler, M. C.: Studies om EDTA treatment of internal radioactive contamination, Nuecleonics 11: 56, 1953. 13. Cohn, 8S. H., and Gong, J. K.: Effect of chemical agents on skeletal content and excretion of injected strontium”, Proe. soe. Erp. Hiot. and Med, 83: TO, 1958. 14. Norris, W. P., Woodruff, L. A., Gustafson, P. F., and Brues, A. M.: Report on bivlugical specimens collected in the Marshall Islands in the spring of 1984 (To be published as ANTA3328). 3. Schubert, J., and White, M. R.: The effect of different dose levels of zirconiumcitrate on the excretion and distribution of plutonium and sttriuas. J. Btal. Chem. 1842 Lt, 1050.