79
INTERNAL DEPOSITION OF RADIONUCLIDES
detonation was about + uc. The distribution
of activity in the individual tissues is shown in
Table 5.8. Over 90 percent of the beta activity
was localized in the skeleton. The highest activity in a soft tissue was found in the liver,
which had, however, less than 0.5 percent of the
total body burden. The colon contents had the
second highest activity for the soft tissues, about
0.24 percent of the total. The alveolar tissue
of the lung had an activity less than 0.02 percent of the total activity in the body.
Gross beta and gammaactivity of the chickens at 74 days post detonation was approximately 0.2 yc. The gross activity per body
weight of the chicken is approximately the same
as that of the pig. The distributionof activity
in the tissues of the chicken (Table 5.9) was
very similur to that in the pig. Most respiratory
radio activity was loculized in the turbinates,
as a result of entrapment of the large particles,
which could not penetrate to the alveolar tissue.
The beta activity in the skeleton of chickens
at 160 days dropped to + percent of the value at
24 days post detonation, while in the same period the gumma activity dropped to U.2 percent
riod. Radioanalysis of the excreta was performed in the same mannerasthat of the tissue
samples, described above.
5.42
Findings and Interpretation
Gross Observations. The animals had been
free on the islands. Although malnourished,
they showed no other evidence of disease.
Autopsy of two chickens which died during
shipment reverled no pathological findings that
could be associated with radiation.
On the basis of an assumed 12-hour effective
fallout time, the animals from Rongelap received an integrated external dose of 280 to
360 r, depending on the date of their collection
(see Table 5.7). The pigs from Utirik received
a calculated dose of 32 r at the time of their
evacuation. The animals all showed extensive
externnl contamination, ranging from 0.5 to
5 mr per hour at 30 days post detonation. This
activity was reduced about 75 percent by a
washing with water alone.
Radioactivity of Tissues and Excreta. The
gross beta activity of the pigs at 82 days post
Table 5.9.—-Beta and GammaActivity of Chickens From Rongelap (yc x 10°)
|
HEN #1
HEN #2
Hzn £0
|
Hen 06
Hen 5
Hen #7
|
HEN #4
Day or Deatee*....|
Dar @
Day 23
Day 74
:
Day 97
Day 121
Day 138
|
Dav 159
DAY ANALYZmD"*....|
Day 24
Day 2%
Day 79
Day 107
Day 122
Day 40
|
Day 159
Beta Gamma;
BETA Gamuwa|
Tissuz
Tibia. ......-...-...-|
7600
3650
8180
4610
Skeleton ...
--|
Liver... ..22-.22..02-
11030
1g
58800
21
11909 66900
352
veal
Crop... ...esee eee ee|
cece neeeeeee
cone eee eens
Gizzard.....2.ceceee|
Glezard Teontent)...-/
eee ceeeee
0.0.2.2.
Intestine (L) and
cece eee cee ee
eee cee ee ee
133
1930
12
41
083
0. 43
contents.......-.22-|
-2eecceeeee
Pancreas... .-...-022-)
Spleen... 02... ee
-cecceeeeeee
eee eee ee
lense eee eee
eee eee eee
016
=
Traches.........-2.2-)
Turbimates......---22[
cle ee eee eee
cee cece eee
wees eee eens
eee eee eee eee
0. 24
387
Intestine (S) and
comtentS.......-.-.-)
-2e-sseeeeee
Kidney...-....--.--- '
Lungs (Alveoti)....
198
17
6)
23
ceeeeeee eee
Bata
eee eee eee eee
eee eee
0
6
1
*Calculated using ratio of gamma activity skeicton/tibia.
**Day post detonation.
0.63
1.6
1.17
0. 57
Gamma
605
8600
72
Bata Gauwa})
|
I
7
—
|
50 |
|
10.0 |
,
40 |
-—
_
9.0
4.0
20
19
|
253
3A70*
34
70
_
2.0
3.0
3.0
Beta
25.5
3120
32
30
aso°
33
a5
«7.8
L4o—
7g
o-
6.3
—
10
_
_
Lo
2
10.7
15.3
9.0
2.6
Gamma!
14.2
hao
-
_
10.0
45
3.7
7.6
|
Bata Gamma | Bata
41.3
31.3 |
0.3
75°
79
42
600
454°
We
Ws
12.2
14.0
84
9.3
|
10.7 |
6.4 |
~
~
=
-
09
~
0.2
-
14.9
5.68
|
124
43
GAMMA
33.2
8.1
437
10.7
117 5°
1a
36
0
4.5
89
0.6
0.3
,
Q
80.9
seen ee eceeenee
0.75
06
0.79
16.8
_
«0
—
2
0, 83
_
-