RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION OF AREAS IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN FROM NUCLEAR TESTS
CHAPTERIll
Table 22—Summary of Gross Beta Activity in Water (NRDL)*
Berta Activiry (8-/minfiter)
Radiochemical Analyses
SOURCES OF WATER
[sLaND
Ocean
Lagoon
Bide
Cis!
Ocean
Bide
Top
NDA
12
290
6,300
260
23, 000
56
Well
Bottom
NDA
330
NDA
tera
Barrell
NDA
1,350
16,000
28
430
Ex
Tree Bole Soi!
-
d
Profile
—
#4,000
14, 000
4
8,100
60
170
28
170
{.
”
38, 000
by AFL no radiostrontium was found.
Tables 28 and 29 show the radiochemical
analyses made by NRDLfor the February 1955
survey,2 and Tables 30, 31, 32, and 33 for the
"Collections made about February 3, 1955. Date reported as of March 1, £055.
February 1956 survey. Table 34 shows addi-~
tional analysis of soils from the February 1956
survey including data on exchangeable calcium.
Tables 4, 5, 6, 13, 14, 19, 20, 23, and 35 show
analyses by HASL.
In terms of a potential biological hazard the
Table 23—Results of Analyses Performed at HASL
WATER
Nowozn NuMBER}
43
390
7s
87
788
187
830
1003
1036
SaMPiiNe Location
TYEE
Rongelap......---.---.---| Well or eistern----....-.-.-Enisetok.
Utirik.
do.
do.
do.
Ltklep.
Lens.
Well...
do.
Cistern.
O-Dar
ore
5 8-56
5
S&
5
856
8-56)
8-56)
8-86
d/m/l
Torat Activity
2800432
sre
djmfl
Cit
dimA
% Sx 1% Cat?
a
strontium-00 activity is of most interest.
Bich
3415
animals from Rongelap, Utirik, and Rongerik,
18:24:16
Nt
Gejon_....
Enlactok....
1008
Eniaetok.
1024
Bifo.
1081
Liktep...._...
1029 Utirik.
*O-Date: Date af counting
At
one year post detonation NRDL reports:
“. . In muscle and viscera samples of the
red
=r
NRDL
veys,? and Tables 26 and 27 for the July 1956
survey.’ In two pools of 15 and 19 fish muscle
samples collected in late July 1956 and analyzed
* No detectable activity.
HA8SL
Tables 24 and 25 show the radiochemical
analyses made by AFL for the 1954-55 sur-
Sr contributes approximately 0.5 percent of
the total beta activity. Sr” is present in an
approximately 1:1 ratio with Sr®. Since the
Hunter and Ballou calculations indicate that
Sr® and Sr” each contribute about 2 percent
of the total beta activity at one year after fission, there does not appear to be any fractionation of radiostrontium into the soft tissues.
As expected, most of the internally deposited
radioactivity was found in the skeleton.
“Tissues of a few marine specimen were
analyzed for Cs'** (37-year half-life)* since this
nuclide was present in high concentrations in
water and coconut milk from this area. The
tissues of the rooster and of the coconut crab
contein significant amounts of Cs’, A very
high fraction of Cs"activity was noted in the
"Nowest estimates indicate 27,7-year half-life,
muscle of the rooster (40 percent of the total
beta).* Further radioanalyses of marine specimens indicated that the rare earth group constituted 2 few percent of the total beta activity.
Ru-Rh'and Zr®*-Nb"contributed the largest
percentage of the total beta activity.”
The AFL reports:
“. . « The Sr values for food plants, except
coconuts, collected in October 1955 approximate the theoretical proportion of mixed fission
products activity? ot 1.7 years, 4 percent.
Coconuts contained 0.1 percent Sr with appropriate correction for timeof collection. . . .
“.. Ia contrast to the strictly marine
forms, the coconut crab, which feeds principally
on land plants, had Srlevels of 3 percent in
the muscle and 12 percent in the hepatopancreas or liver, where calcium salts are stored.
The radioisotopes in salts leached from the
carapace were found to consist entirely of
Sr
“. . . Radionuclides of Sr, Os, Ce and their
daughters did not account for the total activity
in most (fish) samples analyzed. Complete
fission product analyses of samples collected
at Eniwetok and Bikini Atolls indicate that
non-fission-product radionuclides may account
for more than half of the total activity in some
fish. Zn contributes one-fourth or more of
the total activity in shark muscle as determined
by radiochemical analysis and confirmed by
following the decay.’ (Zn is not a fission
product.)
The two-year survey by NRDL continues to
indicate the high percentage of Zn® in fish.
*See Section IV.
23