PROTRACTED EXPOSURE TO FALLOUT

function by a maximum factor of 3 and an
average factor of l.o These factors refiec: the
quality of fit for directiv measured bod. burden:
and urme-derved bocy burdens in genera.
The integra! intake tor SQ vr and the commit
ted effective dose equivalent were derived cuar-

ubes Which depended on knowledge of . and ?

for eacn population subgroup The S0- ~ imerval chosen for integral intake representec ine
vears 1987-2007 for Rongelap residenis For

Utink residents. the S(l-sr interval represented
the vears 1984-2004 Tne committed effective

dose equivalent was based on this cumulatec
intake and both values can be found in Tabie +

An important result of using the fitting
function was that “Zn and '"Cs were the

largest contributors to dose equivalent for
each population. The *Zn dose equivalen: was

greatest at Lunk because of a three-month
interval separaung the BRAVO event and dav
of rehabitation and because of the shorter half-

life of “Zn. The *Cs dose equivalent is im-

portant over the long term. It maybe the chier

nuclide of concern during an individual's
lifetime

post-rehabitation

contaminated environment,

of

a

failout-

Statistical analysis of data

In the cases of "Cs. ©Zn and “Sr. 2 large set

of individual adult values for k and P° were
available in addition to a set of adult average
values. The whole-body counting techniques
and urine-bioassav techniques employed were

similar throughout the program’s history. The
short-term factors influencing the pattern of an
individual’s body burden, e.g. sickness, local
diet changes, eating imported food, recent trave!
to uncontaminated areas, were factors which

influenced the pattern of adult average body
burden throughout the entire residence interval.

Therefore the ratio of the standard deviation to
the adult average k’s and P°’s should have been
equal to the same ratio for individual adult
values. This was in fact the case for "Cs, ®7n
and Sr. The standard deviations and the adult

average k’s and P°’s for these nuclides were

listed in Table 4. Tables of individual adult
values were not reproduced here, however, indi-

vidual body-burden data obtained in sequence

5012b 1398

are found in the references given in the introduction. These bods burdens mav be used with
u fitting function to generate individual adul:
Avs and P's.
The standard deviations for adult average &°s

and P *s were used to estimate the standarc
deviations for adult average committed effective
dose equivalents (see Table 4) Because the rano
of standard deviaguon io the average & and P
was the Same for eltner adul. average or indivic-

uaiadultk& anc P data for Cs. “Zn and “Sr.
1 was assumea to be true for “Ce and “Fe

Thus. the stancaurc deviations for the adult
average A, P . 4#evr cumulated intake una commitied effective dose equivalent were estimated
and given in Tubie 4 for each of these nuchdes
as well.
The standard deviation for the 50-yr cumulated intake for each nuclide does not include
the deviations due to the variation or uncertainty of biological removal! rate constants. raCioactive decay constants or the fraction of arelement elimimated via the urine pathway. These
variations plus the variauion of specific absorbdec
fraction of photon energy would introduce even
greater standard deviation than that indicated
in Table 4 for the esumate of committed

eflecuve dose equivalent.

External radiation exposure
External exposure-rate history curves for pe-

riods following resettlement are plotted on Figs.

7 and 8. These exposure rales were manytimes
less than the | March 1954 exposure rates 12 hr

after detonation of BRAVO. At that ume thev
were
estimated
to
average
2.3 x 10°
nC kg-'h-' (8.9Rh7') for Rongelap Island.
Rongelap Atoll and 8.9 x 10*nCkg™'h7!
(0.34Rh7') for Utink Island, Utink Atoll
(Le80b). These estimates were extrapolated values based on survey measurements madeseveral
days after the BRAVO detonation (OC68).
The external exposure at Rongelap and Utirik Atolls since rehabitation varied due to
radioactive decay of BRAVO fallout and the
addition of low-level contamination from
several other nuclear tests (see Figs. 7 and 8).
The estimated total 50-yr background subtracted
xposure
post-rehabitation
was
5.9 x 10-*C kg~' (2.3 R) at Rongelap Island

and 1.5 x 10-?C kg7! (5.6 R) at Utirik Island.

“4
Yo —s

1.4: the “Sr body burdens vaned from the fitted

Bh BP

maximum factor of | ~ and an average factor of

hom

>522

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