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How Eight Hundred -Kids Are Helping Hanford Find The Paths Nuclides Take A long-range study of the relationship between diet and the trace amount of radioactive materials in the bodies of Ric..land school children, is about to enter another phase. The program, which began last fall, moves on to Christ the King Elementary School this spring after experiencing enthusiastic participation by children at the Sacajawea and Spalding schools. This school year’s goal, according to Battelle Research Associate John Honstead who is conducting the study, is a total participation of around BOO students. +he main idea behind the program is simple. Students are asked to keep accurate account of what they eat during a seven day period, after which their bodies are measured for radioactivity. This measuring process is done with a whole body counter-an extremely sensitive device that can detect the minute amounts of various radionuclides found in a person’s body. Every person carries small amounts of these materials, which come from worldwide fallout, natural sources and, in this vicinity, from Hanford operations. Similarly, most food contains trace amounts of radionuclides. So does the air we breath and the water we drink. What Battelle is doing is identifying the various 24 - in people and trying to determine exactly how they got there. During the :‘ears. Hanford employees have routinely contributed to in-plant, whole body counter studies to increase knowledge of how radionuclides transfer from their source to people. But now the overall program is being expanded to include other control groups such as farmers, fishermen and in the current case, children. This latest study is also unique because of the fact youngsters probably have different ra:es of nietabolism than do adults. This makes the data obtained from measuring them important in determining the role metaboic processes play in radiw between the measuremwts taken .of Richland children and their parents,” comments Honstead. But large deviations aren’t what they are looking for stead. That is why Battdle is trying to measure 800 students in a single pro,-. This many provides a sufficiently large cross section upon which to base assumptions of accuracy. Most radionuclides found in the body have accumulated over several months. Ideal conditions would be for the persots being measured to keep an advance log of food .titake for that long a time. but, as John puts it, “this is asking quite a bit from “Oh, a few people vould remain falthful over a period of several morths,” he added. “But that number would be so s m a l that valid averages would So the best way is tc assume that a week’s diet is representative of year-round intake of food and drink. “We have to live with seasonal fluctb<:tions in what people eat,” comments John. “Besides. the types of food that are caten more at one time of year than another, don’t affect our studies significantly.” The resulting ave*nges, therefore, are quite Collection of the data is the easy part, however. Determining the transhr mechanisms by which radionuclides arrive in humans is the long, painLuckily we are in. :he age of the computer. Working with Computer Sciences Corp., Battelle has been able to program the many variables encountered in trying to f k d correlations between the various nuclides and difftrent types of fwd. The study is looking principally at sodiiim-21 (which is caused by Hanford operations). zinc-65 (primarily caused by Hanford operations but also (primarily from fallout but to a small degree from These nuclides appear in varying intensities and proportion in most foods. Water, milk and meat contain them most commonly. What the comprlters will do once the data is ready is tell exactly what the precise nuclide composition is in all foods eaten by Richland children. By applying knowledge we have already accumulated about the sources of radionuclides. this new information will be extended to identify origins of the trace radiations found in the children. For example, we know that when China detonates an atomic bomb, we can expect an upswing of iodine-131 in the bodies of children who drink milk. Children who ate seafood during the reporting period and registered trace amounts of zinc45 possibly ate fish that were caught in the Columbia river below Hanford. There are dozens upon dozens of similar correlations. Of course, no amount of radionuclide content ever is found high enough to approach the acceptable levels that have been established for living beings. There is no danger from these nuclides; they exist throughout nature. With its sensitive measuring apparatus and the cooperation of Richland parents, Battelle is collecting data that is providing increased awareness into the way radionuclides transfer. Besides being an important part of Hanford’s continual endeavor to understand its products and their influence on the surrounding environment, this program could end up contributing new and valuable knowledge lo the nation’s health physics posture. MOBILE R‘HOLJ?, BODY COUNTER is shown stationed in front of Sacajawea Elementary School. After students have kept track of their diet for a week. they visit the van for a brief radiation measuring session. Last spring a pilot project similar in content to the Richland study was carried out at Kioaa-Benton Elementary School. This experience set the stage for continuing data collection among childrer on a much larger scale.
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FACULTY MEMBERS a t Sacajawca Elementary School listen as Ilattelle-Norlhwcst Research Associate John Honstead explains his program to measure students in the mobile whole bcdy counter. Richland students in third through sixth grade ere being studied in the program. Briefing teachers is the first step to the data collecting PRELIMINARY CHECKS of the diet questionnaire are made by Honstead and T e c h cian Darlene Moore. Data taken from the questionnaires will be correlated with ir formation from the respective body counts. So far, 600 students have been throug both data collecting procedures. EXPLAINING the purpose and procedure of the program of measuring radioactivity in people, Ilonstcad points out to children that every person has a certain amount of radioactivity in his or her body. A secondary benefit of this program is the education ahout radionuclides that participating studcnts receive. Students are given a diet rfporl form which they take home for a week. WITH THE HELP of parents like Mrs. Gerald Goecke, students keep an accurate account of everything they cat. Here hlrs. Gaecke helps her daughter Diana (left) fill nut a rhart as nldrr dauehter Camille looks on. INSIDE THE VEHICLE Technician Fred Eichner operates controls of whole bo counter, which is measuring the amount of radioactivity in a student’s body. The I tire counting process takes about ten minutes. CHILDREK WHO have returned the report forms enter the mobile unit. Watching a r e C Karlson, Principal of Sacajawea Elementary School, and Honstead. Vehicle, operakd by 1 telle Tor the Atomic Energy Commission, is used in every program of this type which reqll off-site measuring. Battelle also operates R permanent installation for the same purpose in