214
THE SHORTER-TERM BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS OP A FALLOUT FIELD
Sanrple
Wot
‘Tissoo
wh.
fe)
Ca
(rng)
Beta activity
dd/ém sample
Iv
Gamma
aetivity
(4jm. sumple
Nuetitle
xt0-ty
Nueltde
activity
(dim sample
x34)
ervent
af tatal
acuity
Sunshine
fruits Ca}
Goat Fish... ... .
.
Bone.
“
|
Viseora
Skin 2...
10
w..
28)
Muscle.
1819.2
1543.
.....|
..|
Killer Clam...
Soft Tissue.
.
Killer Clam
Soft Pissue..
»| Langonsta Crab. 1520C........]
Hed Eye Crab. .
..]
37.5
a
13
a0
mers
@
RO.3
12.5
1.7
58
9
A
me
0
12
03.4
25
27
89
4.9
337
2
ary
ti
1800
743
20
882]
1565
3t
La
7)
330
Rott Tissue
BT
2843
O
9
4a
73
2900
78
:
|
Coconut Crab...... ..] Soft Tissue...
Wa].
Us
oe
B87 AWD
wet ee
--
0
ne
46234
we eee
180:313
=
Muscle. .........-]
281
85
-
RO
87
-
metabolism to calcium metabolism. The skel' eton of a fish from Rongelap had 587 sunshine
units, the highest observed in any fish. The
highest number of sunshine units in anyof the
detonation.
The
Co®
activity in these samples.
The Co® was
detected by gamma spectra] analysis, and
confirmed by chemical separation and absorption measurements. The ability of clams (o
concentrate Cio” selectively was verified in
laboratory experiments using clams obtained
locally.
Comparison ofthe fish and marine specimens
collected immediately after detonation and 1
year later with those studied in the present
A rooster caught on Rongelap Island had a
beta activity of 6.1 x 105 d/m and a gamma
About 86 percent of the total activity in the
diaphysis.
The concentration of activity in
the diaphysis and its absencein the ends of the
bone indicates that the primary deposition
occurred soon: after the detonation while the
chickens were youngand growing. Theradiation
dose to the skeleton frominternal emitters is
obviously considerably higher at this time than
that to any other tissue.
The muscle con-
tained 8 percent of the beta activity, and the
liver, 4 percent. The gastrointestinal tract
had 1.3 percent of the beta activity, and
about one-fourth of this was found in the
respiratory tract.
The average activity for individual tissues of
4 rats collected on Rongelap are also presented
in Table 4, The rats had a beta activity of
Taste 4.-SUMMARY OF GROSS BETA AND GAMMA ACTIVITY IN RONGELAP ISLAND ANIMALS
0.95
00
RE ..
410.
1
41
RE
Srto,
Pns_
-
af 24,
0.5340.76 .
4} 380...
42
9
a2
24
5
O27
Radioactivity
oe
9
wee
eae
24434
|... eee
Nomber of
Saraple
samples
1
Skeleton
samples analyzed appeared in a clam from
Rongelap (2.43 x 10° units).
In general, snails had a high number of
sunshine units (276 to 502). A relatively
high level of Ru(19.2 percentof beta activity)
was also found in a snail from Gejen.
A high
level of Cs(with a 37-year half-life) was
found in a coconut crab,
In the analyses from
previous island resurveys, Cs” was the major
radionuclide found in land food plants and
also in the tissues of land animals. The
coconuts, which had high levels of Cs"’, were
Average
weight (g)
Beta
(d/mjsample x 104)
Rooster...-.--.
¢NDA»No Detectable Activity.
retained the largest amounts of Sr™, as would
be expected from the similarity of strontium
the
level of beta activity of this rooster was 40
*R. Ew Rare Earth Group
high fission yield and ita availability to biological organisms. Sr® levels. and Sr/Ca
(sunshine units) are reported for a number of
samples in Table 3.
The skeletons of fish concentrated and
since
activity of 1.2 x 10° d/m (Table 4), The
3A
* Sunshine Unit =0.001 pe Srit/ke Ca.
radioactive half-life (28 yr.) and also from ita
body was concentrated in the skeleton.
The pattern of distribution of residual
activity within the skeleton is shown in the
autoradiograph of the rooster tibia (fig. 1).
Theactivity is diffusely spread throughout the
The prescnee of Co™in. two samples of clams
Jagoon had approximately one-fourth the
activity of those analyzed | year postdetonation.
20. ..
.
Shine... ...
was noted for the first time in the 2-year
report (2 yoars after detonation) indicate a
drop in activity. The fish from the Rongelap
KAnRBItE Istanp
W538... Snapper Fish -...2....
pereent of that of a rooster from the same
locality analyzed at 1 year postdctonation,
accounted for the major fraction of the total
LS
Soft Tissua
18201......} Red Spotted Crab....] Bort Tissue.
16208.....
BOO
undoubtedly the source of (he Cs" activity
found in the coconut crab,
peried
RONGELAP Istany
¥8020),
215
PERSISTRNCE OF RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION IN ANIMALS
RADIOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF BIOLOGICAL SPECIMENS FROM RONGELAP ATOLL
Muscle. _.
Gastrointestinal tract. _
Liver. ....---.--Respiratory tract...
2250
~|
ween
560
52
1050
485
192
32
5.1
-8
24
2
Total activity... 2.22.22 0)..---.4-| 002
RAWS.. 2 ene eee one
Skeleton_...--
Head .Musete._.
Gastrointestinal tract.
Liver. ...2--..--
Respiratory tract.
4
62.9
-|
~
41
73
15
-3
32
5
- 08
Total activity... . 2... -|----waen|eenenn oe
93
49
43
12.5
37
(dfm/sample x 10™)
101
6.9
1.6
9 4
4
60.5
5.4
39
10
3.6
Gamma
(d/m/ke x 10“)
. 08
(d/mfkg x 104)
181
66
&7
49.0
17.4
Jee
179
36
75
32.0
21.7
62.0
«15
al
ur
27
. 06
. 02
35, 5
18
10, 2
27
15.6
36, 0