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RADIOACTIVITY OF INVERTEBRATES AND OTHER ORGANISMS
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AT ENIWETOK ATOLL DURING 1954-55
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Introduction
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Levels of radioactivity in living forms have been de-
termined at almost all of the Pacific Proving Ground tests,
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both immediately before and shortly after the detonations, as
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more later (UWFL-33, 42, and 435,
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well as at occasional relatively
great intervals of a year or
The present study traces the trends in the beta radio-
activity of invertebrates by means of repeated observations
from shortly before the Nectar detonation (May 14, 1954) for a
period of nearly two years.
For comparison with the invertebrates similar observations on other substances and organisms
are included, using some information given more fully in
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reports by other members of the Applied Pisheries Laboratory
who deal with their problems from different points of view.
Palumbo (1957) reported on the radioactivity in algae and land
plants.
Held (1957) studied the trends of radioactivity in
the land hermit
crab and discovered the preponderance of
radiostrontium in the exoskeleton.
Welander (1957) described
the
trends of radioactivity for the reef fishes of Belle Island.
Lowman, Palumbo, and South 11987) reported the identity of the
radioactive non-fission products remaining in certain samples
collected in 1954-55 and in 1956 as determined in late 1956 and
early 1957.
Aithough the emphasis of the present paper is on invertebrates, certain data from many of the other areas are brought
together here in order to compare the trends
in levels of radio-
activity in a unified form and by as nearly identical methods 4s
is practicable.
It should be possible in this way to observe
the general pattern of change of radioactivity in living and
non-living materials, and to detect divergences from the pattern.
Study of the trends in this manner has proved useful in pointing
out materials of interest for radioisotopic analysis by gamma-
ray spectrometry.