79

INTERNAL DEPOSITION OF RADIONUCLIDES

detonation was about + uc. The distribution
of activity in the individual tissues is shown in
Table 5.8. Over 90 percent of the beta activity
was localized in the skeleton. The highest activity in a soft tissue was found in the liver,
which had, however, less than 0.5 percent of the
total body burden. The colon contents had the
second highest activity for the soft tissues, about
0.24 percent of the total. The alveolar tissue
of the lung had an activity less than 0.02 percent of the total activity in the body.
Gross beta and gammaactivity of the chickens at 74 days post detonation was approximately 0.2 yc. The gross activity per body
weight of the chicken is approximately the same
as that of the pig. The distributionof activity
in the tissues of the chicken (Table 5.9) was
very similur to that in the pig. Most respiratory
radio activity was loculized in the turbinates,
as a result of entrapment of the large particles,
which could not penetrate to the alveolar tissue.
The beta activity in the skeleton of chickens
at 160 days dropped to + percent of the value at
24 days post detonation, while in the same period the gumma activity dropped to U.2 percent

riod. Radioanalysis of the excreta was performed in the same mannerasthat of the tissue
samples, described above.
5.42

Findings and Interpretation

Gross Observations. The animals had been
free on the islands. Although malnourished,
they showed no other evidence of disease.
Autopsy of two chickens which died during
shipment reverled no pathological findings that
could be associated with radiation.
On the basis of an assumed 12-hour effective
fallout time, the animals from Rongelap received an integrated external dose of 280 to
360 r, depending on the date of their collection
(see Table 5.7). The pigs from Utirik received

a calculated dose of 32 r at the time of their
evacuation. The animals all showed extensive
externnl contamination, ranging from 0.5 to
5 mr per hour at 30 days post detonation. This
activity was reduced about 75 percent by a
washing with water alone.
Radioactivity of Tissues and Excreta. The
gross beta activity of the pigs at 82 days post

Table 5.9.—-Beta and GammaActivity of Chickens From Rongelap (yc x 10°)
|

HEN #1

HEN #2

Hzn £0

|

Hen 06

Hen 5

Hen #7

|

HEN #4

Day or Deatee*....|

Dar @

Day 23

Day 74

:

Day 97

Day 121

Day 138

|

Dav 159

DAY ANALYZmD"*....|

Day 24

Day 2%

Day 79

Day 107

Day 122

Day 40

|

Day 159

Beta Gamma;

BETA Gamuwa|

Tissuz

Tibia. ......-...-...-|

7600

3650

8180

4610

Skeleton ...
--|
Liver... ..22-.22..02-

11030
1g

58800
21

11909 66900
352
veal

Crop... ...esee eee ee|

cece neeeeeee

cone eee eens

Gizzard.....2.ceceee|
Glezard Teontent)...-/

eee ceeeee
0.0.2.2.

Intestine (L) and

cece eee cee ee
eee cee ee ee

133

1930
12

41
083

0. 43

contents.......-.22-|

-2eecceeeee

Pancreas... .-...-022-)
Spleen... 02... ee

-cecceeeeeee
eee eee ee

lense eee eee
eee eee eee

016
=

Traches.........-2.2-)
Turbimates......---22[

cle ee eee eee
cee cece eee

wees eee eens
eee eee eee eee

0. 24
387

Intestine (S) and
comtentS.......-.-.-)

-2e-sseeeeee

Kidney...-....--.--- '
Lungs (Alveoti)....

198
17

6)
23

ceeeeeee eee

Bata

eee eee eee eee

eee eee
0
6

1

*Calculated using ratio of gamma activity skeicton/tibia.
**Day post detonation.

0.63
1.6

1.17
0. 57

Gamma

605

8600
72

Bata Gauwa})

|
I

7
—
|

50 |

|

10.0 |

,
40 |

-—
_

9.0
4.0

20
19

|

253

3A70*
34

70
_

2.0

3.0
3.0

Beta

25.5

3120
32

30

aso°
33

a5
«7.8
L4o—
7g

o-

6.3

—

10

_
_

Lo
2

10.7
15.3

9.0
2.6

Gamma!

14.2
hao

-

_

10.0
45
3.7
7.6

|

Bata Gamma | Bata

41.3

31.3 |

0.3
75°

79
42

600
454°
We
Ws

12.2

14.0
84

9.3

|

10.7 |
6.4 |

~
~

=
-

09
~

0.2
-

14.9
5.68

|

124
43

GAMMA

33.2

8.1

437
10.7

117 5°
1a

36
0
4.5

89

0.6
0.3

,

Q

80.9

seen ee eceeenee
0.75
06

0.79
16.8

_

«0
—

2
0, 83

_
-

Select target paragraph3