STERS AL
5.3.
DR POSTI EONS
Internal Contamination in
Humar Beings
Tue INTERNAL CONTAMIN ATO study vas be
gun 15 days post-detornation witho tie coection
of pooled 24 hour urine amples trom the
Marsnallese and Amer car cro aps
Maxinmiun
activity in the urine occurs dure the frst fex
days after internal corfaniunater
Ey 1 seek
an approximate equilbrium state < reached on
which the contaminants ren atancain the ped:
are firmly fixed. chiefly a:
ie skeletal ti-sueThe activity in the prime shen oemves fron
radicelements which Lave beer penlacea ta the
natural process of bie ogi tarnever
“Mune,
the study made is essen alo. tatoot an qu
librium condition.
The urine samples vere en om laboratories
in the United States fer ana vss. + nce the high
background encountered iy ie nelet niasied the
relatively low levels «fo act its
the alquet
samples used.
A Heli, biberatory as most dy
sirable for a rapid sur ces. acid wie shown to be
feasible, if adequate ficuetes re arovided for
the counting of the sampues
The first urimes sariples ment oned wove
were collected for the Las NGamios SS dentitr
Laboratory (LAST
“ibalit
amples oo
lected $4 days post detor i con were usc ser
there.
On the 23rd. 24th
detonation, 2t-hour uring ee
sie
Hoh divs post
fectoaas from ene
mdividual from Rongelar aad Aviungirae were
sent tothe New York Operntio is Oifice. Aton
Energy Commission
NYO) VEC for ov
In addition, -umples “rom represent.
tive individuals ino these oreo were -ollecter
alysis.
Yio Sand § months cost cetera ar ine set
to NYOO-AEC.
The USNREGTL collected apes Team ney
member of the exposec arr os att
und fh days
post
represent:
detonation,
Sa tipies
tives of these BOM pS
toon.
vere. se
ea
Sand 6 months by the FsNdil
ected att is
lnoadeition,
samples fromia representa
oe cronpoth Vier
mms nd 200 Mire eee
lected far
eonsecutive
detonation.
oduys
0824
a
ee
MO
TONUCTIDES
4)
Methods
69
\-. omplere ridiochemical analysis of all
leo oho saenp es was not feasiole, samples were
pieced for ons sr") Balt the rare earth
wrogooad fissile matertal These analyses are
tt taast efit fer evaluating the concentra-
jor
at.
ane ident ty of all the potentially hazardouternadky deposited radioactive isotopes.
Miessarement
vas also made of the gross beta
eta ty d all the -amples.
[oo fiaqitite the processing of the large numer Fone saples sent from the field, a seanvay faetiad for beta measurement consisting
foaoadsth oAavate precipitation with a lanthatate
ouerier Was emploved on an aliquot of the
Shout inne san ples, This method rapidly
oer tiates tae padioact,ve elements into a
sat) Ordtne and eliminates the normal Ke’
MLK Prat
\ carbonate precipitation of the
entip? b aear saniple increased the sensitivity
of
ceasurement -atfiqently for analysis of
~tlepies oleered ater than Zl. months post
feta atoan
Phe peta aetivits was connted with a thin end
soeow Crager Miatler counter
The counter
hae
tl ber: tee werhiaw (LO) -tandard. and an
(ppb obits eorrection for self absorption was
Made
ys.
a So ranelard,
Findings and Interpretations
Bera vet vitx of the Urine. Internal depmtoon ot vadioacrive elements was evidenced
. fou preence of significant umounts of beta
ress
oy the wrne.
This activity deereased
Sapa do.ous og fanetion of time. as it was derived
rie fb.
trem short lived radiototopes.
eSatrple
For
aio natths post letonation, the mean
wteote od the apne of adults from Rongelap
was 2s percent oof the value measured £5 days
pest detonatieu. cad oat Gomoenths, the activity
me ene wos barely detectable in most of the
eto
dhl
Comdparisar of the means of fhe urime samhes
othe
oudults frente Rongelap and
ooo re anet frome Aimerietis from Rongertk
Cot
te
ea tays pest detonation: the