same period; however, liver tissue decay and decline rates are similar.
Tc UUle. ences in rate of aecay and decline in both bone and muscle may
indicate greater retention ae well as continued uptake of long-lived
e
.
radioactive materials in these tissues.
Figure 2 illustrates the rate of decline in the tiseues of fish from
Rongelap Island between January 25, 1955 and July 17, 1957.
Again it
will be noted that the rate of Jecline of radioactivity is somewhat greater
in the liver tissue than inbone or muscle.
All tissues show a definite
increase in radioactivity after the summer of 1956, reaching a relatively
higher level than for the same
tissues in fish from Kabelle Island, but
declining at a more rapid rate after 1956.
Decay and decline ratee of radioactivity of muscle and bone tissue
from fish from Rongelap Island are approximately the same, decay being
Slightly more rapid.
The radioactivity in liver tissue declines at a more
rapid rate than it decays.
Gross Gamma Radtoactivity, 1957
Table 3 contains data on gross
levels of gamma radioactivity in the
homogenate of many reef fishes collected at Rongelap and Ailinginae Atolls.
As with the beta radioactivity, Rongelap Island fish generally had less ganrra
radioactivity than fish from either
Enibuk or Kabelle Islands.
ences were not great between sin.ilar
Also differ-
species from different isiands.
markedly higher amount of radioactivity
A
was noted again in the liver of