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Declassified record · U.S. Department of Energy

Letter to C L Dunham, Subject: Plans for the Regular Annual Medical Survey of the Marshallese for March

Dated
Jul 25, 1957
Document type
Correspondence
Length
3 pages
Open the original scanArchive record OSTI ID 16377730 · public domain

Document text

Machine-read from the scan, so expect some errors. Lines that couldn’t be read are left out.

Page 1

ASSOCIATED UNIVERSITIES, INC .... Director, Division of Biology and Medicine Atomic Energy Commission At your request, in addition to plans for the regular annual medical survey of the Marshallese for next March which will be submitted h the near Miure, the following supplementaryproposal is sutszitted. This proposal is based on the assumption that the Navy will again ftmnish an H for the annusl survey. It is also assumed that the MI will originate from Pearl Harbor. The use of 8n MT is considered essential for oarryiq out the entire medical survey and wiU be explained in more detail in the main proposalo Since little is bown about the relationship in human beings of total body burden of radioactive isotopes to their urinaxy excretion rates data on these ratios vould be of great hiportances The Rongelap people gener~ ly have higher body burdens of radioisotopesthan are found in oth= peoples of the world. This type of correlative analysis would therefore be mxe easily accomplished in this group. In addition the influence of the slight envirob =ntsl contaminationwhich exists on the ial,gud could be evaluated in the future from such studies. In order to achieve these objectives it 18 proposed that whole body gamma spectra be obtained as well as simult~eous urine collections for rs,diochemical analysis on s33 the exposed Rcngelap people ad the unexposed Rongelap people living with them in conjunction with the next surv~. From studies of data from such %3 surements on body burdens of gazma isotopes and urw excretion rates of Sr from fallout, it might be possible to predict the Sr eucretion rate based on body bunlens of one or more gamma ~tters determined from gsmma spectroscopy. These studies would also correlate with similar studies centemplated for the Medical Department at B~N.Lo The g- qeotra @Ul&Z6W!l could be uasd at B.N.L. when not in use on the Marshalleae. The followlng specific requirements are considered necessary: qstal. A large crystal of this type is needed in order to achieve satisfactory resolution of the photodectric peaks resulting f’iamgamma rays of various en@rgiesO

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SUoh a Orystal ha6 been proVed satisfactoryin the pnposed type of application by Marinelli and~er at Argonne National Laboratory. It is extremely important that the orystsl and the materials used for encasing it be free from radioactive contaminants. A suitaMe oryatal a8n be fabricated by the Harshaw CompW. A stand such as is ueed with a portable x-ray maohine wmuld be used to support the orystal assembly. with Drs. Kuper, Higginbotham ami Chase of the B.N.I& Instmmentation Division indloates that this type of instzmment would be satisfacto~ for the type of analysis Contemplated. These Instruments are onrrent~ being fabricated at the Teohnioal MMsurements Company, New Haven, Connecticut, for B.N.L. aml are oonsidera?iLyless expensive than the two Inuxiraififty-six ohannel type analyz= in use at Argonne National Laboratory. In view of the remoteness of the locale of examinationsand consequent diffloulties of getting repair work done ulthln a reasonalileperiod of time it was else recommended that tw of these analyzers be taken along~ e) In order to insure suffioient~ low background radiation for suoh analyses a room with steel walls of at least 4= tldolmessis deemed oontacted officials at the Navy Yard, New York, in regard to fabrkation of suoh a room with the following results. Ue were informed that a barbette from a oruiser is to be r-veal in the near future for sorapping purpeseso This qllndrioal barbette could be out so t&t four ourved sections, 6r high and 6W thiok would foxm the aidea of a ohamber about seven feet across. Two, two inoh thick steel plates oould be scoured both on the top and bottom of the ohamber to afford overell shielding of four to six inohes of steel. A door of adequate size of 4 Inohes steel thiokness would be made for access~ The size of this room would be adequate for the Pus’posesad the thiok steel walls, floor and ceillng would insure a low ba~ound. Neoessary openings for electrioel lines oould be made. Subjeot to Navy app~al, this @amber oould be fabrioatad at the Navsl Shipyard at New York end shipped to Pearl Harbor via one of the Navy vessels en route there. At Pearl Harbor the room could be assembled and placed on bosxd the tank deok of the XSl!to be provided. Cranes at Pearl Earbor an easily handle the transfer to the I@. Twosmslld ~ers would be needed, one im the steel room to make the subjcots more comfortable during measurements ad one in a smell weoden room to be built adjacent to the steel room to protect the analyzer sgainst high The power source aboti the MT will be adequate. Upon completion of the operation the steel room would be stored at Pearl Harbor navy Ysmd for fiture use~

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Use of present showe~oom facilities on board the IS would be adequate for setting up the decontaminationand ohange station necessary for preparing personnel for measurement. Radioohemioal urine analyses oould be oarried out at the Walter Reed Army Institute lf Researoh as in the pad. to participate in James S. Robertson, Medioal Departmnt, B.N.L. has agreed the operation and will supervise the measurement6* Researoh Institute has tentatively agreed to allow Mr. Maynard participante again. His talents will be &&aMe in operating the Thallium activated crystal....................... 4$200 g) Oost of fabrication of wooden room ad em@nlng (Estimates for oosts on the two personnel involmi w be submitted with the basic proposal.) It is understood from the planning d estimate division of the New York Navsl Shipyard that the fabrication of the steel ohamber oould be done in about 2 months and work oould proba~ be started around September or October and oould pearl krbo~ via Naval Febru&. Suoh aotion would necessitate early &prov& & the Navy (at least- verbally until fomsl approval oould be written) for 1) use of an H ti- Maroh 1958 for 3-4 weeks and 2) permission for fabrication of the steele — ohamber at the New York Naval Shipyard, shipment to a vessel and instellation on board the IS at Pearl~