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Machine-read from the scan, so expect some errors. Lines that couldn’t be read are left out.
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Collection /27/ 1 Issued October 19, 1953 Entered In O ~ e n N d Dac
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. . - Biological monitoring of Columbia River salmon. At Hanford, Washington, biological monitoring of the effects on aquatic organisms of reactor effluents discharged into the Columbia River is being continued. Data have been obtained on the dilution level of reactor effluents tolerated by salmon and on the effects of the effluents on growth and mortality by conducting experiments using various area effluents--mixtures of all industrial water discharged in the Columbia River from a reactor area. The effluents are all mildly radioactive, have high temperatures, and contain chromates and chlorine, which are toxic to aquatic orgmimns. me concentration of effluent in river water is measured i n percentages. The 5 percent level was chosen for evaluation of any latent effects since from previous experience only slight effects were observable at this Silver salmon eggs and young were subjected to a series of dilutions of reactor effluent for 11 months. No adverse effects were observed at concentrations of 3.5 percent or less, but slight effects occurred at the 5 percent level. ity occurred throughout the test, and growth was po,qr during the-last four months. Radiation received by the fish is estimated at not over 6 rceptgens equivalent physical for the entire period,. and adverse effects are attributed to unfavorable temperatures and chemical toxicity. Fish from a control lot and from the lot subjected to the 5 percent concentration were marked before liberation to the ocean and will be studied for possible latent effects when they return as adult fish. At a 10 percent level appreciable mortal- . Uptake of fission products in plants. In addition to data prevlously reported on the soil movements of radioactive strontium, yttrium, cesium, and iodine, and their biological effects on plants, studies have also been extended to determine the maximum uptake of these fission proimum uptake of strontium, yttrium, cesium, and iodine. Investigations indicate that barley can accumulate a concentration of strontium about 1.4 times that in the soil, and a concentration of iodine about 3.8 times that in the soil. trated in the plants. At Hanford the barley plant was used in determinations of the maxOnly slight amounts of yttrium and cesium are'concenIn addition, experiments have been completed on a fifth element--- ruthenium. The abSorption of ruthenium from nutrient solution by red kidney bean plants was studied as a function of the ruthenium concentration and of the acidity of the solution (pH). uptake of ruthenium is dependent upon, but not strictly proportional to, the concentration of ruthenium added to the nutrient cultke, and the uptake efficiency increases as the acidity increases. Observations show that the
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Ind trial Health . method for determination of particle size in airborne.dust. The method Ind trial Health . method for determination of particle size in airborne.dust. The method has direct application to industrial hygiene problems invol+ng-such measurements and should facilitate their solution. Heretofore, the usual methods of sampling airborne dust have required analysis of particle size by time-consuming and tedious microscopic observations. The new technique involves collection on membrane filters which are then dissolved in an organic solvent. The resultant dust suspension is then analyzed turbidimetrically (in terms of light falling on a photocell after passing through the suspension). The concentration of the dust in the sample does not affect the results of the.particle-sizedetermination. method gives good accuracy and reproducibility of results. Radiation Instruments Program Fourth tripartite conference on instrumentation-Preliminary arrangements have been made between the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom to hold a tripartite conference on instrumentation at Harwell, England, in May, 1954. a meeting will be held by the planning committee of representatives from AEC, Chalk River, and Harwell to establish an agenda for the conference. Items suggested in preliminary discussions for the spring conferOn October 15 at Chalk River, Ontario, ence are pile instrumentation, chemical plant instrumentation, transistors as applied to nuclear instruments, problems in radiation dosimetry, and new circuit techniques. Specific topics of a classified nature w i l l be limited to previously established Commission-approved items on instrumentation within the general areas of Health and Safety (Area 2), Isotopes of the Technical Cooperation Program. Civil Defense Activities Structures test planning and screening committee. The seventh meeting of this committee was held on September 29, 1953, for the purpose of (1) reviewing the status of the test .reports from the civil effects tests of operation UPSHOT-KNO!EIOLE; (2) discussing items previously proposed for testing but not included in the spring 1953 series; and (3) receiving proposals from federal civil agencies for future tests. To assist committee members in planning and preparing for future tests, the Division of Military Application presented the current.schedule of continental and overseas tests. rt was emphasized that a series in the continental limits in fiscal year 1954 was extremely unlikely, but that pos- . sibly a series would be conducted in the autumn of 1954 or in fiscal. The meeting indicated that all agencies participating in the Civil I'
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Effects Group of UPSHOT-KNOTH0LE:felt kluable'data had been obtainedimd :that the -tests were uniformly successful. Additional information is nee ed relative -to'probable behavlor-:'iulaer,aerial.gttack of a group of items dealing with water supply and piping,. 'office buildings, hospitals ,'* schoo of AEC plants through blast pressures on ventilating systems, and the probable necessity of developing data on doors to group shelters were also named as items needing additional study, possibly leading to field tests. The incidence and spread of fire, possible contamination . Dispersal of federal agencies at the seat of government. At the request of the Office of Defense Mobilization, the Commission participated . in-discussionsrelative to the dispersal of federal agencies performing essential functions at the.seat of government. tended from the Federal Civil Defense Administration, Department of and the Central Intelligence Agency. review established criteria relative to dispersal distances from the zero. milestone in the District of Columbia to new sites for buildings which house federal office personnel, and distances between dispersed sites. This group reviewed the criteria adopted in 1932 and, in light of, subseThe purpose of the meeting was to . quent events, criteria under present Briefing of FCDA personnel (UNCLASSIFIED). The Commission held a . classified briefing for the Deputy Administrator and six staff members of the Federal Civil Defense Administration on September 29. The presentation included information on the Raw Materials, Production, Weapons, and Reactor Development programs. Each section was presented by a representative of the respective divisions and followed the pattern of the briefing given to the Administrator of FCDA and his top staff in April. Transmittal ,ofweapons test information. The cooperative arrangement between AEC and the Department of Defense (Armed Forces Special Weapons Project) under which information is transmitted to the Federal Civil Defense Administration on weapons effects data is continuing. Earlier in the year, the Joint Chiefs of Staff issued a directive under which AFSW operates in providing classified weapons test information to FCDA. Subsequently, FCDA recommended that discussions be held between the three agencies to determine future policy in this area. Concurrence in this proposal was given in a letter from the Chairman to the Department of Defense (AF'SWP), and the Chief of the Civil Defense Liaison Branch was named as the Commission representative. Instrument and source loans. During September, radiation instruments and a cobalt 60 source were loaned to civil defense organizations in Delaware and New Xampshire, respectively, The latter represents the first loan of a high-intensity ( 5 curies) cobalt 60 source to a state group for the purpose of calibrating their civil defense radiological detection instruments and is an extension of the cooperative AEC-FCDA program to assist state and local civil defense bodies in their training
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. and universities desirous to excaange . problems and experiences 1 such meetings became apparent wnen LL ULULLUGI 1 research assignments found that most of thei apart from actual research and-alsopr~p==vu rially'in capitalizing upon the collectlve e During the recent sessions, papers were presented from groups, and open discussions were held on the problems presented-. Included . were such items as: sources of support of'reseasch, overhead, role of the Federal Government in research, and role of the universities in resew-ch (End of UNCLASSIFIED section.)