——
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Water Contamination Due
To Radioactive ‘Fall-Out'
—
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Here No Hazard To Humans
— Weconiamination Process Discussed — .
The prescription given by Dr. :
->Japan was reassured Thurs-|
day that there was little to) W Claus for decontaminating
worry about the possible radia- human skin from radioactivity
tion contamination of the water drew considerable attention.
supply resulting from an atomic
Dr, Claus’ formula was brief
“fall-out,” imasmuch as it is
“far below any level of hazard
to human health.”
The reassurance came from
Dr. Merril Eisenbud at the
and simple, “Wash with copious
day Japan-U.S, radiobiological
conference.
Dr, Eisenbud explained the
for. this purpose,
Asked if the formula will be
applied ta the™ decontamination of vegetables, he answered the same method would do,
and
that
many
vegetabies
quantities of soap and water,|}
using a mild abrasive if necessary to loosen sticky contamination,” he said. He reported corn
fourth-day session of the five- meal is usually used in the U.S.
amount of radioactive substance
in the water supply was far
’
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below any danger level, because
the naturai forces, time and
biological factors quickly de-
contaminate the water reser-
voirs.
could be decontaminated by
peeling or removing outer
leaves,
.
As for counter-measures to
Extensive research on the de- be applied when radioactivity
has ‘been accidentally swallow-
contamination process of water
supply, he pointed out, was re-
ed
University in the water sup-
verbally. reached an agreement
with
céntly conducted by Harvard Eisenbud
ply reservoirs of Boston and
Cambridge, Massachusetts, and
water or food,
and M.
Drs.
Nakaizumi
about the advisability of admin-
istering EDTA as rapidly as :
Rochester, New York. Similar the situation permits,
studies Were carried out by
EDTA
is
the
common
the Rensselaer Polytechnic In- chernical name used for the
stitute in Troy, New York.
substance, It was explained that
The
U.S.
Commission
Atomic
has
Energy a quick administration would|‘
experimented
remove plutonium or strontium :
with a variety of more rapid from the human body or body
artificial decontamination of animal through excretion.
methods, In experiments at Los
Alamos, New
Mexico, one process removed 95 per cent of
the radioactivity injected into|
the Water supply, and at Bos-/
ton,
‘he
experimental]
result |
scored a 50 per cent decon-;
tamination. he said.
The comparative ease’ with
which the decontamination process Works out was also agreed
on by the Japanese radiobiology
experts participating in the con-
ference.
Dr. Tajima reported
much as 90 per cent
radioactive substance
Water could be wiped
using
filter.
charcoal
rvsille
introduced
his
own |.
theory regarding the contamina- |:
tion of the sea and its fauna |"
and flora.
His theory was based large- |
ly on the extensive research |.
works conducted by Japanese |:
sientists aboard the Government-chartered
scientific expedition
vessel
“Shunkotsu |
Maru” in the Pacific last summer,
.
Both Japanese and Amer- :
ican conferees attended a recep-
that as
of the tion given by U.S. Ambas- i...
in the sador John M. Allison at his .
out by official residence following the
sand as adjournment of the day’s ses-
and
_-
Later in the afternoon, Dr.
Hiyama
sion,
=
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