Assessment of plutonium exposures in Rongelap and Utirik populations by fission track analysis of urine
- Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States). Radiological Sciences Division
A nuclear device, code-named Bravo, detonated at Bikini Atoll at 6:45 a.m. on 1 March 1954, unexpectedly released a large amount of radioactivity. Over 40 years after this incident, the study of its impact on the radiological health and environmental safety of the residents of Rongelap and Utirik Atolls continues. In 1987, researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory established a fission track analysis (FTA) method for low-level {sup 239}Pu urinalysis. Two years later, a new shipboard protocol was developed for collecting 24-h radiologically clean urine samples. The purpose of this paper is to update information on the FTA method for measuring low-levels of plutonium, and to summarize results on the distribution of {sup 239}Pu in the populations of Rongelap and Utirik between 1981--1991. Plutonium detection levels (99% confidence level) in these samples were 2--3 {mu}Bq, which is equivalent to 0.2--0.3 mSv effective dose equivalent (EDE) to age 70 for Marshallese. The latest 1991 FTA data indicate average EDE of 0.62 mSv and 1.6 mSv for the people of Rongelap and Utirik, respectively, which both are the highest values since 1988.
- Research Organization:
- Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76CH00016
- OSTI ID:
- 10181822
- Report Number(s):
- BNL--60261; CONF-940721--1; ON: DE94018633
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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