H-Division Progress Report, February 20 - March 20, 1957 (Redacted)

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The Xealth Research Laborator;. wf~ich!iwises the activities of the Biawdical osd holds a sauevbat dubious distinction in Los .'Lanos Ln be- the one bulldisg where, un&r prcrgr auspices, uncleared members of the p b l i c may be pt!lmitkd to but it is 05vims that *.e najortt:: of the ;rorb done there is entlrely unclassified. U trace 0:' classiried ddcvJncnts, etc., can be uade to disappear into the building's v a r i t GU a fctr namtnts' notice. For this reasor., properlj? accredited visitors wiy be '&en an e tow of this buildinc whenever it s e a des:raF,le. taken OE a tour of the building,' snd recently two zather large such -8 have been accazaodatad. In celebration of the birtkday of Thoatas A . Edism, sme 1200 s t u b - :ran the high schools of northen; Kew Mexico were oermitted to tour the tniilding. and on lfkrct 9 this vas repeated for a?praxiniitcl;' j00 students vho visited LOS Alemas u re?restatat:-:cs of t h e tkv Mexico E i gh School Studect. Council Association. These visit8 mean considerable work on the part of the Grougs involved but Lhey (vt spprisindy gratifying and there has been c a q l e t e wLllinpe8r to do the necesrarylw\ork, and even to devote an entire Saturday In what appears to be 8 -.-cry distinction but the rta,Df.of the H e a l t h CivisFon also re& it as a rather unique privilege. ~ h a r p b n ,their can be no question but %:hat this cmstitutcs a very real and worthwhile remice to the Laboratory and at the time or the Laboratory's Opes Iiourc i n July 1957. 7- tirob As vas said above, Itira rcmevhat dgblous

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Marrir argelke VInt to Arc0 oc b i i h 1; and returnma iL t o observe the GEAXP (Om- Electric A irc rdt Kxcleu P be supplted by oil. !I%=$were two lines of thought. One thou&t was that the material would not be released at all and tke other MS that the material would b released at this -ratwe o r less. elenezts were t o have been b i - e d above 210G.T and a studj- mdt of the activity himel ? vith SUb88qUent reports 00 the expcrlxcct. 1. On Februarcj 21, a t C:45 p a . , the top blew out 0:’ an induction e;nrphitizin~;.-e in the press au il c nc. The famace held 9-38 but no con-tiap was disbursed. Two mmbern of Q%< were involved out no one vas injured. ( 4 hrs tG1erance per week). It was thought *at the t r i t i u m bad been trrpped between two vessels so that when one verse: was renoved tritiirm -6 releasad. was found later that one or the valves leaked a t high pessure. The mcui was back t o tolerance ui thin3 minutes after the ventilation MI increased t o 24 ch sns s per 0: the U. S. Geological Survey group while collecting water m4 roll maples and anti %nilton Bend Spring. The excurs:on covered Xcid Canyon, Pueblo Canyon, Cna;:a Canyon,

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3. Thc Phobdorlmetry section s br tcd to Chng? all of the recardr to c0npYj VLth the IBM coding syrtem in which the p u p , location, and rcrmarks vould all be indicated by coding. be shipped by & w HeMter, H - 1 is t o take over this work. exempt was compiled. The basis for these quantities UI reported t h a t the Mghest f?,w thrt had ever been produced t o date for an period of time was present. shop -8 wr8 found t o be wLlnited with the urception of two spots neer t h e The reaction was a d(d,n) with a neutrm target of TTie tolermce t h e :E areas outside of the fence and north toward the new one posltion could be measured in t h e hallway of S4 On Parch U, a T(p,n) reaction with target havinc the s a w flux reduced the tolersnce t o 11 minuter This was thought t o be due t o backward scattering. 18 which limitd the 2. Another irradiated thorium ramglc from the Cyclotron ma nacbincd by The milling machine vas located i n the hood and was viewed The sample read m e r 100 rep. hr at contact and 9 r,/hr at one foot. KO contamination was spread beyond the miUlng -ne althaugh the arid air samples were all negative. The residue that had been Wried frcm th* -F-thorium was taken t o a lead shielded dry bax. Tlmbtr - of Disabling Injuries 3 17 Number of Days Lost 12 6,355 Frequency (Accidents per 1,0oO,ooO Maahours) 3.3 3.0 3act minE his left fourth toe. Lost tima was Tim drya.

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On Saturday. March 1-, G r o i 1 y P-4 an& 3-5 were h 0 6 k KexIco Salmella irfection i n the wu6e popclatlon. tern hated md the animals destroyed as fast ss possible. 'se elizlnated 5;. attrition by the rslddle 0:' the sunsner. t o build tke colony back t o operatin;: strengti. on a sounder, nore disessc-:rce 'ca@is. k ?ili=a t tempt to breed czur 0-m mimalo has been set up in thr juan ent of tbc Chronic experiments bly beinc After that Ye will etteqt Gro ~ ?9-4 i n coopcrstlm VLth the Federal Civil Defense Agcacy i n a. Nature of Proteinuria Induced by Uranium i n Rats. -- Paper electroinLection consisted not only o? increased e l 3 u n i n and alpha globuiin normally found Ln .irhe,but also of an increase i n the axcret:on o? heavier beta and 4 t the height of protein excretion *&e electrophoretic pattern of proteins stron&$y resenbled the semm protein pattern. ? rote in excretion vas due t o leakage across the $ m e ~ Lus rather than excretion of tub vh r tissue detritus. These results sua este d that the increased b. Siochemical Effects of Rsdiation. -- Studies rediatlan on cholesterol synthesis confirmed pre..ious I'indingi SjnthesFs i n tine liver vas affected. and tritl - a - labeled acetate correspond closely iritfi each other. s;r,thesis xas rcarkedlj. increased v i t h increase i n radiation riosaze and ;fa6 ,reatest Results obtained by using'f?-Ubded acetate

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t X s gcrlod. 9 i e a:r ::a; thrcush t h e i:lter and the aressure dro:, across 1: :rere

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also checked. I t was found that after three yew's 05 the maic filter had built up to o n l y 0.5 inchesd of vster me. The quentilq of b air exhausted through the system WBS still withir: !5$ of tht three years ago. Fhdiochcnistry auildlng before its acceptance. Ventilation Ji+&e on .': the hoods but one uas found. The air cleacin; system for the daerolver in thlr hil ding vu checked md found to be essential2 as recomended. C0a6idem~bltwcrk i s still necessaxy to Wurt the bypsrs dampers on the hoads i n ardar t o obtain a satisfactory air flov at any setting or' the hood door. an15 air cleanin; systan :or propulsion p r o w York in Building 96 and T Shop. Since Group CMB-6 has asked i'or dll 0: t h e available space in the Press BuLlGin;, into the old T Shop as 80051 811 the present occupants move t o their neu bl;iXln& activities in T Shop. a?d 1% . a s I'ound t h a t five hoods shmcd ;ace veiocitics belug recarrmcnded levels. Snstruction MB gtven to the Several coniemnces were held wltt SD-2 personnel to discuss the hoods Reverse Jet air filters vili be orot-idrd to ciem the air frcm the cmqieted, the analytical cor!: or: tl-.e tray eclmgies i s being carried on ad them s s Work is prog css iq on the rrett,od for the determination ofmni.a by comti3g methods. Extraction v i t k acetylacetone and isolation of uraniun by ion A small chamber in vhicil i c n m concentratlonr of &vspors cer. 3e set tip !ias been built and i s ready for test:%. It is plsnne4 6 uae this dmzber :'cr checklr.; certairr aLr senplLnG nethods thet reqcfre only a very Cmau v o h a e O-"

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-... A method has been & ~ i s e dto check Chcnox masks t o determine whetk.er there is my le- of air ;rsst the rubber dtaphragn. result of 1-g being fowd in a mask ass:@ad t o @E-2. new building, HRL Buildfng, and CM Building. L t was found that the noise l e v e l :E the new ouildlng was sppreciabu higher than that in &the existing buildings hav;n, essentially the saue vent ll sti on arrangme5ts. ma& 'cy Xnfor reducbq the xoise level. i n Idaho as an observer on air semplin: techciq..es. Assistance we$ given to Group J-7-1 in meawlfig the noire level iri their Koise levels *nremeascred in v8rious parts 0: the A co ad tsn t on noise grO3ienS - as3mgkt in and recamendations yere c)ne mer of the Group rpett a week et the 3at ional Reactor Test Station Group H - 5 set up and manned exhibits %or the t e n e l i t of a brge number of

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The systez rsationcd les: nonth shows 6. decrease iz s ct lv it y. blmt pigin; for overhauiinc or replacement. nese modificationr, together vith the increased the averisge dsiiy treatment rates rrm 90 b; ..--3 treatncnt rate o3tained since alteration haa been 125 gp. Flow t o the put 5 gallons 01' v a s t e . The contents 0," these two &XIS -&re lsolated in the northeast

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in f he nt holding Win wmright and tmtd with 70 Wundm of H131 (apprwcimatc~ 'Ittle danger of ECN fommtion. Followin& trcatrnent, the diluted vith the incming mu wtc s and allowad t o pars end the other 2 ppm (3. Cn the third day there wa8 awn no CN present i n the fir4 on the second ihy one effluent tank (l8,OOo f J & Llea : pPma Saue of *&is flow 2s due to the ogcration The vacuum sludge filter has Seen operating satisfactorily daily. to be rec?-c:& the plant.

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d of work done in thir &re& there is 8- indication that a t u t a e n t of pH with determine the most e cdc al method of operatior! of the two Site. F o r same 88 yet unaccountable reason the results on not neuly 80 goad uam the laboratory ocde operatiom. This pry be due to either one of tvo fmctors: i n the contrtal of sddition of acid a t the Ten Site pSaat. labontory indicate that the Srgo MPC CM be met quite easily Oycr'nomc 500 colroan volumes but this axperience has not been b o n e m,t i n pzUrt operation. One other anonaly is that a pmt ly the addition or' inert strontium i n the order of 25 ppm ha8 no crfect on the removal of S p . This is i n contcsrt to work reported here length of contact time of the acid with the waste or mri ment s in the Thfr work vi11 be coatinued t o try to improve the Ten Site put opent:ot. -lea of the calcined wrrta frcw Arc0 WIT^ mixed w i t h clay and 9 ~ 1 9 v l k e without tinder or compression and fired ta l2OO'C. Mnpler vfth tap uutcr it was found that a most.of the s ct lv it y with only 110 pop; being leached OJt. wit & varying proportions of clay t o determine On leaching thorn of kdp Wcphaiine Syenite retained Pnothtr clay, Corny Slip, Uoric is procceelng in firing spiked of rainfall of over 1100 inches of wcrter. All 0:' the activity is bein& held Fn a cone of 7 inches length. Strmtium 1s not as tightly bound by tuZ as i r shown by cores rec eiv bg About sodp of the 6Qike is beinC held after the punge of OI& 13: L. 5.2 x 13 cpm was dlsplsntled and autoradio,Taghs made. Film Core #U which had received a total concentration t o be concentrated et or near the surface or' the core. The c o r e was sectioieZ

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1'4 inch depth and to 200 -,'ea a t the 3,'4 Inch depth. n1tP.c acid, sobitm cyanide, c i t r i c acld, carbonic acid and hat m. Thfs pour a serious gmblem whenever Cs assays are t o be ma& on soils. show a mrkeb difference i n effluent quality with ram t o both mineral snrlysis a d radiologlca3. array. Tap water may leach a8 much as 40 t o 50 timas t h e amOwlt of nuclide as is leached bg distilled water. ?ou-nd i n higher concentretion when tap water is used as a leach. It is mcO@ited that prt of this Zncmase may be sttrib~tedt o cor?cmtratlaas found i n tap .dater. '&en the letter is 8pSlied as a lee&, fame sllicm. may be removed from the Water C02 will nOFmally increase as *&e water percolates throtigh the soil, ram of th. nucliee in the efflueat. I n one cese the inzresse * a s about 100-fold follomd by Car.aor, d:oxide docs not seca t o affect the relekse of Tu o r 2s in like m e r : ln :act. there has been no oLscr&le increase I n r a t e 0: removal of these two ncclides. muisia rllm ara bring &e in an attempt to detornLne whether different nuclides Other cores bre been set up t o conticue the cesium studies. OM core found at the surface: the count dropped to 2000 cpm,'ma t the There vu no aplrreciable It muid appear that Cs i o Recovery of Cs ;'ram the tu-'? has Seen lou, often lam '&5*, w i t h Cores which are alte mt ely leached Kith distilled wakr and tap water In l i k e narmer, Ca, Fa, and Ne are I n the case of a core skms no activity in the ef-2uer.t after the pas

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Yi. Cerl. ?reeman of the Zia Parks be e'soct 21 per sq. 2. per Samples from the - t

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Since it will k diff f cult to M e Cilciun rtom this soil, an effort is beinc madt to find 8n which i s calcium deficient in order to of tuff, whereas a t a depth of 3,'4 inch only 200 cgm,'gc wen faund. As might be expected, samples taken along the length of the core showed marked variation. carbannic acid, and c it rlc acid; hyCrockJoric acid has also been used t o treat the ncoverles o f houn Cs spikes. Extraction by tronbllng i n a t4.l mill with & m03 vu tried. a t …