were contaminated; they inhaled and obviously ingested certain indeterninate anounts
of material.
|
;
The body burdens of isotopes in these individuals was evaluated by radio chenical
analysis of the urine of the exposed people and assisted by studies on swine,
These
swine were recoved from the island at a later date.
The urinary and fecal excretion
was studied and ultimately the animals were killed.
Extensive radio chemicals anslysis
were made of their entire bodies.
By comparicon approximations of body burdens of
radionuclides was made.
| Rare and alkeline earths accounted for about 70% of the urine activity.
tim 89 was about at the maximum permissable level at one day.
Stron-
Iodine 131 and other
mexbers of the iodine family which had to be present early, resultedin a dose of
rediation to the thyroid glands, estimated between 100 and 150 rep.
must be added the penetrating external gamma component.
barely detectable in the urine.
To this of course,
By 6 months radiation was
At 2 years from analysis of pooled urine samples
and individual samples very tiny amounts of Sr90, ca49, pr, and Cs were present*.
The results of the three year rediochemical analysis of tke urines that were recently
collected are not completed as yet.
It was believed that the body burdens of these
people was very low and probably biologically insignificant.
However it was decided to
bring some of the individuals to the United States for study with the total body gamma
counter at the Argonne National Laboratory.
This decision was meade not because of
any fear but because the analysis of the urine and the animal analysts was an indir
ect means to obtain probable body burdens.
It was obviously desireable to obtain a
firm direct measurement of the body burden from the scientific standpoint and to
determine the precise tody burdens,
Four individuals from the Rongelap group, two
from the Utirik group and one control Marshallese (a total of 7) were brought to the
United Stetes and taken to the Argonne Netional Laboratory,
There , under the direction
of Drs. Marinelli, Rose and Miller the total body gamma activity was measured.
The
* Studies performed both at U. S. Navel Radiological Defense Laboratory and Walter
Reed Army Medical Center.
DOE ARCHIVES
9