Quarterly Technical Report January 1, 1953 Thru March 31, 1953

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Health and Biology TEE UNT(JERSITy OF ROCHESTER Atomic Energy Project Rochester 20, New York QUARTERLY TECHNICAL REPORT January 1, 1953 thru March 31, 1953 It should be noted t h a t the Quarterly Technical Reports of The University of Rochester Atomic Energy Project do not attempt t o describe progress i n all of the research programs but only i n those i n which mme significant results have been achieved but which are not sufficiently complete t o be written up as final reports. Submitted by: Henry A. Blair Director Date of Report: 5/29/53

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A Small Chamber for Studying Test Atmospheres by C . J. Spiegl, BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF RADIATION Effect of X-radiation on Adrenal Steroid Excretion i n Pigs Mortality Resulting from Repeated Exposures of Dogs t o Total Critical. Energy of Fabric as Indicated by I t s Persistence Time under Thermal Radiation by George Mixter, Jr. and Leo THERAPY AGAINST RADIATION INJURY Treatment with Piromen of the Radiation Syndrome i n Dogs Treatment with Successive Antibiotics of the Acute Radiation Syndrome i n Dogs by Molly P. Coulter and Robert W. Miller . . The Use of Whole Blood i n the Treatment of the Acute Radiation Syndrome i n Dogs: A Review of Experimental Work A Simple Procedure f o r the Detection and Isolation of Intermediary Metabolites from Radioactive Precursors by Leon L. Miller and Morton Rothstein .............

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TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont.) ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS FIGSENTED AT MEETINGS Studies on t h e Renal Excretion of Calcium by Philip S.

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A semi-portable air pumping system for aero801 sampling with the cascade impactor and other dust samplers i s described. In the laboratory, the unit has proven t o be useful also for supplying air pressure o r vacuum Several years ago,a semi-portable unit was constnrcted for aeroeol sampling with the cascade impactor and filter paper dust eampler. has been found t o be very useful with a number of air sampling devices. The system consiste of a vacuum-pressure pump, valve, rotameter and manometer', with aflow arrangement as shown i n Zigure 1. i s attached t o the suction line as &om, t o indicate the pressure drop across the sampling device, If the sampler incorporatee a filter paper disk, then the increase i n pressure drop during smapling m a y be taken ae an estimate of the amount of dust collected. With the present rotameter, calibrated at various negative pressures, it is possible t o measure sampling rates in the range of 3to 34 l/min with an accuracy of 2 0.2 l/min. Cast Manufacturing Corp., Benton Harbor, Michigan. Rotsmeter , Series 700, Fischur and Porter Co., Hat boro, Pennsylvania.

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A photograph of the system i s ahown i n Pigare 2. Dimensions o f top o f the cabinet i s at table height, It may be used either as workbench ora platform t o support the dust sampler. Drawer space is provided i n the sampling cabinet f o r storage of accessory equipment. .-. -The versatility of the unit has allowed its use under many circumstances. It has been used extensively f o r alr sampling of inhalation exposure chambers and as a portable air monitoring station in varloue locations of the laboratory. control device for supplying air pressure o r vacuum i n many laboratoxy The system has been applied as an air experiments. It has been very useful in the student laboratory of the Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology.course offered at the University o f

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SAMPLING DEVICE VALVE Figure 1: Flow diagram of t h e air sampling system.

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In this paper details are given for the construction of a chamber for producing test atmospheres and some o f the uses for such a chamber. The primary features are versatility and simplicity, Research in in dust rid hygiene and toxicology on many occasions requires an atmosphere containing kn'own concentrations of t e s t materials. Often, the apparatus f o r producing such an atmosphere i s not availeble became of the expense and time required f o r its construction, o r because ofits specialization o r inconvenience i n use. !Phi8 laboratory, drawing liberally on the liter atum and on the idea8 o f many individuals ,1 has evolved a small chamber that combines both versatility in use and simplicity of construction. The chamber is shown i n Figure 1. The essential features of the chamber are the following: A. Afive gallon battery jar mounted horizontally on a wooden stand and bolted against a sponge rubber gasket recessed Into the upr ibt B, The front board which serves as a closure for the glass chamber and as an instrument mounting panel. 1, Among others: R. Wilson and S o Laskin,

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C. A source of compressed air ( o r E2 if necessary) giving approximately 5 t o 10 p s i at a copper T-tube of about 3/g inch diameter. o f the T furnishes air fora bubbler, the other for dilution purposes. no compressed air i s available, a pump such as t h e Gast2 can be used. D. A calibrated capillary flow meter f o r measuring the air being indicating a flow rate of3bubbled through the test liquid. E. A second flow meter of0to7 liters/min range t o measure the dilution air. The combination of air-flow ranges that is suggested a l l o w s the study of vapors over a wide range of concentrations, but other rates can be used h e n more extreme concentrations are desired. F. Needle valves on the two air lines. G. A glass bubbler (50 ml) containing the liquid to be vaporized. Bubblers of other capacities, jacketed f o r heating o r cooling; aspirators for solutions o r suspensions; and feed mechanisms for dry dnsts can easily be adapted for specific purposes. E. A glass bulb for mixing end diluting the test vapor o r aerosol. I. An exhaust vent with a hose leading toa hood o r other ventilation Average atmospheric concent rations are calculated simply from the loss in weight of the bubbler and from the total volume of air used. When highly volatile liquids are tested, a pre-test zun of about ten minutes is 2. Oast model No. 84358. Gast Manufacturing Corporation, Benton Harbor, 3 . Fischer and Porter Company, Hatboro, Pennsylvania.

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necessary i n order that temperature equilibrium be established within the bubbler., On occasions, it may be desirable t o determine the concentration of the chamber atmosphere directly by means of the usual types of sampling Six t o ten of the chambers described have been used at various times in this laboratory for vapors of carbon tetrachloride, iodine, and a variety of halogenated hydrocarbons; f o r aerosols of uranium compound^, sodium chloride, and histamine; and f o r some low-level radioactive a.ciroso1s. Atmospheres have been produced for rapid range-f inding toxicity test e with rats, mice, guinea pigs and hamsters; for study of efficiencies, calibration constants and behavior characteristics of low-volume air sampling instruments; and f o r educational programs.

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There was an acute, two-fold increase i n the excretion of adrenal cortical steroids (total neutral fraction)after 1000 r whole body xradiation intwo pigs. The role of the adrenal gland i n the resistance of the organism t o ionizing radiation is a controversial one. There i s abundant indirect evidence of increased adrenal activity after x-radiation but the simficance of most of these changes i s debatable. A previous report from this laboratory showed no change in the excretion of urinary 17-ketosteroids (Drekter method) after 350 r x-radiation t o dogs (1). Ihe following i s a preliminary report of the results of the assay of urinary adrenal cortical steroids i n pigs after lethal x-radiation. Materials and Methods: Two Chester-White pigs were given 1000 r of total Twenty-four hour urine collections were made daily during the control and post-irradiation periods, 'Jhe wines were stored without preservative i n an ice-box until measured. The adrenal cortical steroids were extracted from the urine by the method of Burton, Zaffaroni and Keutmann. The t o t a l neutral fractions extracted were measured by the blue tetrazolium method. Results: The following table illustrates the marked increase i n the excretion of adrenal cortical steroids in the pig after 1000 r x-radiation.

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Total Neutral Fractions of Adrenal Cortical Steroids of Urine in Pigs Given 1000 r of Total kdy X-radiation the detectable urinary excretion of adrenal cortical steroids which was of short duration. Following total body x-irradiation there was a marked rise in In t h e first Rn.lmnl this increase was promptly followed by a decrease t o below control levels. the death of the anhal. In the second animal the initial increase i n excretion was followed by a return t o near control levels which persisted These low levels persisted until until the death of the animals. Fram the data, the significance of the marked increase and the subsequent fall to near o r beluw control values i s not apparent. Nothing concerning the quality of the adrenal cortical steroids excreted .is determined by this experiment. c;' mediately following Irradiation.

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of these findings in the resistance of the animal organism to ionizing Studies are in progress to assess the possible importance Excretion in Dogs.

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MORTALITY €UBUXTING FROM XEpEATED EXPOSURES OF DOGS TO TOTAL Re-expoaure of dog8 t o 300 r of total body x-irradiation at inter - vals of 3 months o r lees showed that nom of the animala that were r e - sia tant to the lethal effacta of the Zirst doae died on their aecoad, third, or fourth expoaures . 450 rat intervale greater than 3 months caused about half the a al male ~ t o succumb following each exposure. x-irradiation is partially additive with respect t o acute lethal effecta Thus it would Beem that whole body when intervale up t o 7 months occur between erpoaures. A lead shield 1/8n thick placed over the abdomen protected dogs that had eurvived a whole body O X ~ OEW ~t o 525 r (ID-62) against the acute lethal it y of x-irradiation. This protection vas undiminiahed on repeated HOWOVer, 400 r o r whole body irradiation, or di mily an 13-30,caused all six af these animal8 t o succumb when given two month8 after the last abdomen-ehielded experiment (12 months after initial exposure). total body exposure (523 r), 3 died when whole body expoeed t o 400 r 12 of 6 other doge which received the aame initial months later. These doger had not received multiple abdomen-shieldsd exposures i n the interim. Thia would indicate that, although abdoman-ahielding protect8 the animal againat the lethal it y of x-irradiation, the partial body radiation received l a additive t o some extent. the dog's chance of surviving even a relatively amall expoaure t o whole This may diminiah When dogs were re-expoeed t o 300 r of whole body x-irradiation with one month between expoeures, the survivors showed a smaller percentage

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depreaeion o r their leukocyte counts during the post-radiation period. The actual white cell count8 were the 8me following all exposures. indicate that the animals that survive re-expoaure under these circumstances poaaese a relatively resistant hemopoietic system. This resistance t o the developmant of a leukopenia may be related to marrow hyperplaeia which is t h e connequence of the previous irradiation. iaoi ' interest becauee oi potrsible exposure of military ad civilian per80r~!~01t o ionizing radiation. The atudiea reported here m e Of a preliminary nature, and concern the r e e u l t a obtained when dogs were used a6 Mathob:' Healthy mongrel dogaw were exposed t o repeated total body xFilter : planoconvex aluminum ---- 14 mm a t center tapering toward periphery with 0.5 ram copper Filter : wad pianoconvex $ Itat center and $If at periphery Total docre8 and intervalB between expoaureearehescribed below. WBC and HCT levela were obtained prior to irradiation and twice weekly thereafter l o r four weeks. Table I is a summary o f the mortality when 300 r was administered a t varying intervals. This doee in this laboratory is a maximal sublethal IP A l l . dogs except thoae i n part A, Group B had survived previous whole LA: body x-irradiation as part o f another experiment. This explain8 the unsystematic selection of radiation doaes teated.

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are the the relationships of the expoouras. ceiving their second, third, and fourth exposwee at the same time that the Group B animals were baing irradiated for the first, second, and third The Group A animals Were reThe results indicate that eom potentiation of lethal it y occurred when rest periods of l e s s than three months were allowed between exposures. The poat-radiation white cell coUnts, expreseed as a per cent of the pre-yadiation value, were generally higher i n the survivors re-exposed after a one month rest period than it was inthe animals that were reexposed at two or three month intervals. However, the actual leukocyte count was the same on. all four expoaures. Thua, the variability of the white cell responee in this experiment is beat revealed when measured a8 a per cent of the pro-radiation level. a Graph lB depicts the leukocyte response8 for an individual dog i n Group A alter the four exposures. The third exposure occurred one month a r t o r the eecond, and was characterized by a lese, marked percentage clopremion than t h a t which followed the other expoaures. Graph 2 shows the actual white cell counts for this dog. The 8ame total count obtained following all four expoewes. All five dogs which survived when irradiated after a one month re8t displayed this responee. and 4 show the 8 m phenomenon fora dog i n Group B . animals in this group irradiated after a one month rest had a similar Graphs 5 and 6 show for GYOUPf.3 A and B respectively the average exposure of the doge that eventually recovered. Inall instances the leukocyte averages are higher sfter radiation following a one month rest than they are following exposures separated by a longer interval.

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uaing a whole body doae o f 450 r, a midlethal doae In thie laboratory. mortality after the aecond OP t h i r d radiation expoeure waa no higher than that which re au lts fYom a a lng le expoeure t o thin doae if 3$ month8 or more That l a to sa7, 8omd of the animala that were reaiatant t o the lethal effect8 of a previoue total body exposure became auaceptible on subsequent irradiation, while others remained reatatant. The average leukocyte counts o f t h e dogs in each of these group5 w e ahown in mapha 7 and 8. somewhat lower than it ~ E Iror the previoue onea. The percsntage fa11 f o r later …