Tnersauction
The Marshall Islands Radiological Safety Program at Brookhaven Naticnal
Laboratory, under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy, provides wnole-
body counting and urine analysis services to residents of the Marshall Islands
whose atolls were affected by radioactive fallout from the U.S. nuclear weapons
testing program conducted in the mid-Pacific during the 1950's.
Individuals
five years of age or older are monitored under the current program.
This age
limitation was imposed to assure willing participation by informed persons as
well as to select individuals whose body burdens of 13765 and potassium were
large encugh to be detected in a 15 minute whole-body count.
.
five vears of age were not expected to have
7
Children under
.
ae
Cs body burdens which exceeded
the 1376, body burdens of the five year old children, based on review of previous whole body counting data (Co57, Co59, Co60, Co62, Co63, Co65, C067, Co70,
Co75).
A retrospective dose assessment prepared for the Rongelap and Utirix residents (Le80) has indicated that individuals who ingested radioactive material as
infants (age 0-4 years) received a higher dose-equivalent commitment than cther
segments of the sample population.
In addition, these individuals had the
hignest daily ingestion rate of 13765 and other nuclides which were positively
idencified in the sample program.
These data on infants were determined from
body burden and urine activity measurements conducted at age five or older and
extrapolated to the infant age group.
The Bikini Atoll resident dosimetry (Gr
80) demonstrate that the sampled children received higher dose~equivalent commit.
.
37
.
ments and had higher daily ingestion rates for i Cs than did the adult population.