Biology Section Radiological Sciences Department, Biology Research Annual Report 1952 (July 7, 1953)

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Health and Biology This document consists of 189 pages. Copy Yo. .(I of 254 copies. Series A BIOLOGY RESEARCH - ANNUAL REPORT T h e Staff of the HANFORD ATOMIC PRODUCTS OPERATION Operated for the Atomic Energy Commission by the

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Health and Biology 49 - Battelle Memorial Institute - Argonne Yational Laboratory - Armed Forces Institute of Pathology - Armed Forces Medical Library - Armed Forces Special Weapons Project Washington - Armed Services Technical Information Agency - Army Chemical Center - Army Medical Research Laboratory - Army Medical Service Graduate School - Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission, Washington - Atomic Energy Commission Patent Branch - Atomic Energy Commission, Washington - Belgium, Union Mini ere de Haut Katanga UNC LASS IF IED

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Health and Biology 56 - Brush Beryllium Company 59 - Bureau of Ships (Code 490) 60 - 61 - California Research and Development Company 62 - Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Company (C-31 Plant) 63 - 64. - Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Company (K-25P lant) 7 3 - 74 - Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Company (Y-12 Plant) 7 5 - 78 - Chalk River Project, Canada 79 - Chicago Operations Office 80 - Chicago Patent Group 8 5 - Dow Chemical Company - Midland, Michigan 86 - Cow Chemical Company, Rocky Flats 95 - Harshaw Chemical Corporation - Brookhaven National Laboratory - Department of the Army, Office of Ordnance Research - Eldora ao Mining and Refining Ltd. - Idaho Operations Office 102 - Iowa State College 104 - Johns Hopkins University 105 - Kirtland Air Force Base 106 - 107 - Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory 108 - 109 - Library of Congress 112 - Mallinckrodt Chemical Works 113 - Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Dr. Hardy) 115 - National Bureau of Standards 116 - National Bureau of Standards, AEC Project 117 - National Lead Company of Ohio 118 - 120 - National Research Council, Canada 121 . - Naval Medical Research Institute 122 - 124 - Naval Research Laboratory 12 5 - New Brm s wick Laboratory 126 - 129 - New York Operations Office

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Health and Biology. 130 - 131 - North American Aviation Inc. 132 - Nuclear Development Associates, Inc. 133 - Oak Ridge Institute of Xuclear Studies 134 - 135 - Public Health Service 137 - Savannah River Operations Office, Augusta 138 - 212 - Technical Information Service, Oak Ridge 219 - UCLA Medical Research Laboratory 220 - 234 - United Kingdom Scientific Mission 235 - 237 - University of California Radiation Laboratory 238 - 239 - UCRL Livermore Site 24 0 - University of Chicago AirForce Radiation Laboratory 242 - 243 - University of Rochester 2 44 - University of Tennessee 24 5 - University of Utah 246 - University of Washington Applied Fisheries Laboratory 24 7 - Vitro Corporation of America 252 - 253 - Westinghouse Electric Corporation 2 54 - Wright Air Development Center - The Surgeon General

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TABLE OF COXTEXTS Removal of radiophosphorus contaminant from the water in an Extended retention of rainbow trout in dulute reactor effluent- - - Chronic effects of pile effluent water on cereal plants Comparative metabolism of protium,deuterium and tritium in the Absorption and deposition in the skeleton and soft tissues of the rat of plutonium fed chronically as solutions of very low mass Absorprion of plutonium through the living skin of the rat: rates of The effect of zirconium citrate cn the distribution of intravenously administered plutonium in the dog

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TABLE OF COS TESTS(Continued) Toxicity of 1131 in sheep Changes in blood constituent following surgical and Publications and talks by members of the Biology Section during

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1952 AS SU AL REPORT - BIOLOGY SECTION Similar to the first volume in this series - the 1951 Annual Report (HW-25021), the purpose of this is to summarize biology research activities for the calendar year 1952. abstract is presented. title pages of the individual papers. But unlike the previous volume, no general Instead, for abstracts the reader is referred to the Objectives, organization, and functional responsibilities in this section did not change during the year.Physical facilities were expanded during 1952 to include anew Aquatic Biology Laboratory which comprises about 10, 000 sq. ft., and which replaces the temporary quonset hut that housed personnel in this group since 1945. Grateful acknowledgment is expressed to the heads of the units Foster and R. C. Thompson. Although few papers from service groups within the section are included, practically none of the work would have been possible without the analytical services provided by Mr. A . C. Case and the personnel of the Radiochemistry Laboratory. Gratitude is also eq res sed to Dr. F. P. Hungate for helpful suggestions and assistance in editing this report and t o Mrs. E. G. Swezea for coordinating the preparation of the final draft.

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The distribution of radioactivity in river organisms during 1952 was similar to that of previous years. Radioactivity of plankton and algae followed seasonal fluctuations in the activity of the water while in animals it u-as more closely angling area upstream from the reactors captained significant 8mount.s of radioisotopes with 2. 2 x in the flesh of one specimen. maximum activity densities were found i n the vicinity of Hanford. Salmon spawning, with a total of 545 nests,and the juvenile population appeared normal for this section of Some whitefish caught i n a popular The radiobiological survey of the Colzmbia is an integral part of studies being conducted to determine effects of Hanford reactor effluents upon aquatic organisms.This field program, as previously outlined (l), was designed t o obtain information relative to radiation hazards and to radiobiological m d eco!ogical conditions in the river. studies initiated in 1946 ( 2 , 3 ) w e r e concerned only with radioactivity densities in the fish. was expanded. The results of a precursor y investigation of various aquatic animals other than fish and several types of aquatic plants were reported in 1948 (4). Data specific to bottom dwelling invertebrates and plankton w e r e published in 1951 and 1952 (5,6)and additional information relative to the fish was reported in 1952 (7). The first field During subsequent years the scope of the survey Emphasis at the beginning of the survey was placed on the collection of field records and samples. s o that a reduction of several phases of the field activities was possible on July 1, 1952. This facilitated the processing of previously collected biological samples and permitted initiation of special field studies. survey was coordinated with Columbia River studies which were conducted b y the United States Public Health Service. Sufficient material was thus assembled

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Sampling stations of the revised field program included a control, one station downstream froma new production area, one each at Hanford and Richland and two in the McNary Dam region. from each station once a month. zone biota were taken f r o m within the confines of the Hanford Operations of small fish, two species of invertebrates, plankton, and the form of algae dominant at the time of sampling. cross sectional distribution of the plankton population and of its radioactivity density pattern in the river. region of the future McNary Dam Pool were intensified t o include deep water dredging and cross sectional plankton sampling at monthly intervals. Data pertaining to the spawning of adult salmon near manufacturing areas and to migrating juvenile salmon were again recorded. Samples were collected Some quantitative samples of littoral Forms routinely sampled for radioanalyses included one species A special study was made of the A preliminary survey was also madeQ Field investigations i n the The sampling methods were the same as described in the 1951 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Previous survey data (1) showed the geographical distribution of radioactivity in Columbia River organisms with maximum values occurring i n the Hanford region. decreased rapidly, below Richland the rate of decrease was slower and below Mc Nary Dam it became very gradual. prevail during the 1952 collecting sezson. Between Hanford and Richland t h e activity density This condition continued t o * Nannoplankton consists of the very minute plankton which is not seared b y conventional plankton net equipped with abag of No. 25 or coarser silk UNC LASS IF IED

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The relative activity densities of representative Types of or gm isms and river water collected a t the Hanford sampling station during 1952 are shown in Figure 1. axis to facilitate comparison of the magnitudes to which the radioactive materials are accumulated by the various forms of organisms. absence of values for caddis fly larvae and algae during the spring months are due tothe freshet. habitat of caddis fly larvae by littoral zone collecting methods and hydrographic conditions produced environmental factors unfavorable t o growth A logarithmic scale has been used on the c rd in ate High water levels inhibited sampling from the This year ' s data further illustrate that fluctuations in activity densities of aquatic animals are more closely related t o the water tempera - tines than t o the fluctuations of activity densities of the water. It is appar - ent, however, that the plant-life follows a somewhat different trend. Both the bottom-dwelling algae and the plankton, which is composed almost entirely of algal forms, show seasonal fluctuations in radioactivity levels which are of similar pattern t o that of the water. the plants and animals is most apparent when the water temperature is low and the metabolic rates of the animals are consequently reduced. Activity density levels during 1952 were grossly comparable to those for higher values for plankton during February of 1952. This difference between The most pronounced variation from the 1951 conditions involved Previous plankton studies have been confined to organisms collected byuse of standard nets. plankton centrifuge have shown that the quantity of nannoplankton exceeds the net plsnkton b y a substantial amount and that the activity density of this fraction appears to be roughly twice that of an equal weight of the net Preliminary investigations utilizing a high speed Radioactive materials deposited in the flesh of focd fish of the Columbia River constitute a potential radiation hazard. Substantial

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quantities of Rccky Xlountain w.hi:er^ish (Pros oF i um Vxilliamsoni), small mouth bassI hqicropterus sal moi des) and s?eelhead treut (Salmo g aird neri i) are caught in this vicinity by spor ? smen. The whitefish is csught in parti - cula rly large numbers during ?he winter season. 1952 approx im st ely half of ? h e whi?efish sampled from Priest Rapids, a popular spor r fishing area located upstream from the Hanford Operations, exhibi?ed radioactivity density levels equal to or greater than those occurring in fish czught immediately below the reactor areas. Rapids represented the mrSximum value found i n flesh of adult game fish sampled dc ring the year. winter months is thus indicated. Whitefish caught near Richland, another area which attracts large numbers of fishermen, had radioactivity densities comparable with those collected in the proximity of the reactors. Appreciable accumulation of radioisotopes also occurs in bass of the Hanford area. Steelhead trout k ve not been collected in qu at i ties large enough t o indicate definite trends in radiation uptake, but s parce sampling indicates some accumulation in the vicinity ef the reactors and very low Lctivity densities in the Priest Rapids area. During the win:er of An upstream movement of whitefish during the Aerial surveys of salmon redd s in the ccnfines of the Hanford Works showed a total of 545 for 1952 compared to a 1947-1952 average of 418. The only count t o exceed ? his year : s rota1 was735for the parent year of 1948 (1). Field observations indicated no reduction in numbers of young chinook salmon in the Columbia River in the vicinity of Hanford Works We wish to express cur ?.hanks to R. G. Genoway for technical by Regional Survey of the Biophysics Section., Activity densities of water shown in Figure1were furnished

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Herde, K. E. , ''Radicactivity in var i ox s species of fish from the Columbia and Yhkima Rivers, :: Document 3-5501 (1947) (SECRET). Coopey, R. W.,. ' The x cum ul ation of radioactivity as show by 2 limnological study of the Columbia River in the vicinity of Hanford a qc a tic in ver ? eb rates in the Columbia River, 'I Document HW -20055 in Columbia River fish in the vicinity of the Hanford Works, ' ' Docu-

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REMO7',4L OF RADIOPHOSPHORTJS CONT AMIS A ST FROhI THE CS'ATER IN AN AQUARIUM COMMUNITY Tracer amounts of P contain ing biolo ical c c mmun it ies. Biologic a1 processes effective 1s removed the P35 from the water a s algae concentrated the tracer t o levels 300, 000 times those i n the g2ter. Guring the first few hours after tracer introduction the P was rapidly absorbed by plankton algae, but after 15 hours plankton activity densities decreased while the P32 was more graduaiiy raksn up by bottcm and side -wnll algae. reached by the algae (18 days), ?he slower processes of sedimentation and binding to surfaces ccntinued to remove the tracer from were introduced into three large aquaria After maximum activity densities were The biological community which develops in an aquarium may be used asa model i n which t o study some problems of radioisotope contamination in natural aquatic envirbnments. Radiophosphorus is the isotope of greatest. biological importance in the Columbiz River at Hanford (1, 2 , 3), and in the present experiment aquarium communities were used fora tracer study of :he transfer and concentration of P32. > In each of three 60-gallon aquaria the bottom was lined with aluminum trays most of which contained a shallow layer of mud, and two sides of each aquarium were lined with glass plates which could be removed to sample side-wall organisms. The aquaria were filled with uncontaminat.ed river water on October 9 , 1952, seeded with pond plankton organisms, and permitted to develop without interference for six weeks. On November 20, 1952, twelve snails and twelve small fish were introduced into each aquarium; and each received the tracer P32, averaging 170. 6 pc per

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FiTre major community fractions (plankton separated with a Foer st centrifcge, the centrifuge water, side-wall algal film scraped from the glass plates, mud from the bottom trays, acd sediment from other trays without mud) were sampled, in addition to the f i s h and snails. of the PZ2 in the aquaria is shown in Figure1 in Terms 3 f the number of p c of P32 in the total mass of a given community fraction in a n aquarium. The values are in all cases corrected back to the time of tracer introduction and compensated for loss of water by evaporation and removal of RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Uptake of P32 from the water by plankton algae was rapid, a matter of h o u r s , as observed b y Coffin --et a1 ( 4 ) in the study of P 3 …