ABSTRACT
Radiochemical separations were made by ion-exchange
and precipitation techniques and by gamma spectrum analyses
to determine the levels of tungsten-185 on selected samples
from the Eniwetok and Bikini test site and from the nearby
atolls of Rongelap and Ujelang
The isotope was identified
by its half life, maximum beta energy and gamma energy.
High
levels of wi85 were found on plant-leaf and soil samples at
Belle and Janet Islands (Eniwetok Atoll) and on plankton
collected 155 miles northwest of Eniwetok Atoll during August
1958.
Lower levels were found at Vera, Keith, and Henry
Islands (Eniwetok Atoll), Nan Island (Bikini Atoll), on the
plankton near Ujelang and Rongelap Atolls and on samples from
the latter atolls.
The wi85 appeared to occur as surface
contamination with the exception of one fish sample taken at
Eniwetok Atoll in which the isotope was found in the liver
and spleen.