The estimates for 23954 adult body burden were not used to derive values
of intake and committed effective dose equivalent since they may be have been
the result of erroneous urine collection technique and not the result of internal deposition.

The potential for contamination also existed for

90

“Sr, however

the impact of contamination on dose assessment was much greater for Pu.
Questions concerning the 2395, estimates have led to a study of the sampling and analysis procedures which indicated that some 2395, in urine may not

have been chemically recovered along with the tracer (Ry82).

The extent of sam-

ple contamination during collection and the fundamental reasons for variation in
3
.
.
.
:
recovery of 2 Ipy from urine samples remain unanswered at this time.
vestigations are underway.

:
Several in-

In August 1981, fecal and urine samples were

obtained from Rongelap and Utirik residents and are to be analyzed after complete dissolution followed by a liquid solvent extraction technique used in conjunction with a photon-electron rejecting liquid scintillation spectrometer
developed by McDowell for low-level alpha spectroscopy (Mc72).

The question of

initial sample contamination will be answered following additional analysis of
urine collected in 1980 from former Bikini Atoll residents.

22

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