RADIOACTIVE FALLOUT. ITS SIGNIFICANCE FOR THE PRACTITIONER

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1963 · J. Am. Med. Assoc.

OSTI ID:4723797

Dunham, C L

The characteristics of radioactive fallout are reviewed and factors affecting the biological availability of fission products for man are discussed. It is pointed out that fallout may result in exposure of the whole body from external sources or exposure from radioactive elements that have gained access to the body. The principal sources of exterral exposure are the short-lived fission products of iodine and Zr-- Nb/sup 95/ and Ba-- La/sup 140/ and the longer-lived Cs/sup 137/. Because of its energetic gamma rays, Cs/sup 137/ also produces whole-body exposure when taken into the body. It is relatively uniformly distributed in the body muscle mass and is retained in the body with a biological haif-life of about 110 days. Approximately 90% of the total body and genetically significant dose to the present generation is from these sources. Strontium-90 emtts only BETA rays so contributes very little to this, but because it behaves metabolically much like Ca it tends to accumulate in bone where it irradiates both bone and adjacert bone marrow. Cesium/sup 137/ and Sr are present in all of our principal foods, though both are relatively quite low in fish and sea foods. Iodine/sup 131/ is present in food only periodically during active atmospheric testing or locally at the time of accidental release from atomic energy plants. Carbon/sup 14/ from weapons tests contributes only a small amount of radiation to the totalbody dose. It does contribute significantiy to the cumulative exposure of the germ cells over many generations. Data are summarized on estimnted radiation doses in the U. S. from natural background and from fallout through 1961 and the estimated effects of fallout on the number of gross physical or mental defects in future generations in the U. S. The estimates for cases of leukemia and bone cancer induced by fallout to date range from 0 to 2,000 and 0 to 700 respectively during the next 70 years, with the risk ranging from 0 to 1/ 100,000 for leukemia and 0 to 1/300,000 for bone cancer. (C.H.)

• Research Organization: Div. of Biology and Medicine, AEC
• NSA Number: NSA-17-008456
• OSTI ID: 4723797
• Journal Information: J. Am. Med. Assoc., Journal Name: J. Am. Med. Assoc. Vol. Vol: 183
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ACCIDENTS
ADSORPTION
ATMOSPHERE
BACKGROUND
BARIUM 140
BETA PARTICLES
BIOLOGY
BODY
BONE MARROW
BONES
CALCIUM
CANCER
CARBON 14
CONTAMINATION
DISTRIBUTION
ENERGY
FALLOUT
FISH
FISSION PRODUCTS
FOOD
GAMMA RADIATION
GENETICS
GONADS
HALF-LIFE
HEALTH AND SAFETY
IODINE
IODINE 131
IRRADIATION
LANTHANUM 140
LEUKEMIA
MAN
METABOLISM
MONITORING
MUSCLES
MUTATIONS
NIOBIUM 95
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
PHYSIOLOGY
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION EFFECTS
REACTOR SAFETY
SEA
STRONTIUM 90
ZIRCONIUM 95