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BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
fallout from tests at NTS. Results of analyses completed by the end of the quarter aregiven
below. These values are substantially lower than values for these areas derived from theoretical calculations. The difference between the actual and expected strontium 90 content may
result from such factors as weathering and low rainfall in these areas and from the fact that
strontium 90 tends to form a smaller percentage of nearby fallout than predicted from tables
of theoretical composition of mixed fission products.
Strontium 90
Location
(millicuries per square mile)
Tempiute, Nevada
42.3
Lund, Nevada
30.7
Cedar City, Utah
36.2
Beaver, Utah
ag
=-
29.6
Eureka, Nevada
St. George, Utah
Alamo, Nevada
Bishop, California
Caliente, Nevada
Overton, Nevada
Mesquite, Nevada
25.6
24.1
15.3
14.9
14.6
9.7
5.2
Barstow, California
on
1.96
For comparison, values for some other locations in the United States are given below. It
will be noted that the values for soils collected around NTS are not significantly different from
the values for these other locations.
Strontium 90
Location
(millicuries per square mile)
Memphis, Tennessee
38.0
Rapid City, South Dakota
New Orleans, Louisiana
Detroit, Michigan
Rochester, New York
Seattle, Washington
Los Angeles, California
.
.
31.7
30.4
29.9
27.9
27.5
8.3
wet TDS
ac wae
pee
(Values obtained from other locations were all within the
range shown above.)
PREPARATION FOR LARGE-SCALE RADIOEPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDIES
About 30 scientists engaged in human radiobiologic studies attended a meeting at AEC
headquarters in September to advise on planning for large~scale studies of the effects of lowlevel environmental radiation on human populations. Effort was made to design investigative
procedures for measuring general fitness and the effects that environmental radiation may
have on fitness. Particular attention was given to leukemia induced by radiation and to the
effects of radiation at different altitudes. The first part of the meeting was devoted to review
of the status of studies dealing with “ready-made” human radiobiologic situations, such as
those at Hiroshima and the Marshall Islands and those presented by accident cases, radium
a
ue