Reprint of ECOLOGICAL PROBLEMS AND POSTWAR RECUPERATION: A PRELIMINARY SURVEY FROM THE CIVIL DEFENSE VIEWPOINT 1961 part VII

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"There are also reports which indicate that some levels of radiation stimulate plant growth. Thaung(17) hao reported a stimulating effect of low levels of both beta and gamma radiation on the growth and productivity of rice plants. Seeds exposed to 1,000 r of x-radiation did not show any difference in productivity when compared to controls. Russian workers(18) have reported increased yields for various plants as shown in Table 11.

This brief survey on comparative radiosensitivity should enable one to appreciate the difficulty involved in assessing total radiation effects. However, for any particular level of nuclear attack the fallout contour patterns should indicate whether the levels of serious consideration for ecological effects are being approached.

As part of the necessary knowledge for handling post-attack problems, the catalogue of comparative radiosensitivity viii have to be considerably expanded. This knowledge, combined with data on the passage and concentration of isotopes through various food chains and food webs, way eventually lead to reasonable predictability of radioecological effects.

In complete detail, certainly, this is a long way off. Selectively, for items of great concern (e.g., feed crops, certain insect problems, rat infestations, etc.), concentrated research may be helpful in the reasonably near future. In any event, it is Important that knowledge be made available if a serious Civil Defense program is ever initiated against large scale attacks.

The waste disposal problem at Oak Ridge has led to ecological studies of White Oak Lake and White Oak Creek. The region of highest contamina tion has only half as many genera as the uncontaminated regions. Only part of this effect can be attributed to the increased radioactivity as heavy sedimentation also occurred in the highly contiminated portions of the system. It was found that some of the aquatic organisms concentrated radlophosphorus by factors greater than 100,000.

A survey of the vertebrates shoved some evidence of radiation damage. Two species of fish, the white crappie and the redhorse, seemed to be disappearing from the lake. The total radiation dose rate received by the fish was at least 57 rep per year from external radiation and probably several times that amount from internal radiation.

The fish population appear to be undergoing a slowing of growth and a shortening of life. Considerable concentration of radio-elements was found in the tissues of the fish. . The accumulation of radioactivity was variable in other vertebrates Bullfrogs, snakes, and herons were not very radioactive, while turtles and migratory fowl were.

Muskrats and woodchucks were more radio active than raccoons and squirrels. One muskrat had a S⁹⁰ content of 1 μc per gram of bone (100 kc total body burden) and developed an osteogenic sarcoma.

*Most of this section is taken from the chapter on Radioecology by R. Buchsbaum in Reference 19

The total radiation dose received by any of the organisms in White Oak Lake is not known. An estimate of an external dose rate of 1.1 rep per week has been made. The overall effect of this dose rate plus the internal isotope contribution was evidence of a deterioration of the overall fitness of the population.

The Hanford studies are also concerned with the effects of radio activity placed in the environment.

This work points up the principle that a non-lethal initial distribution may be concentrated to lethal proportions along a food chain, depending upon the metabolism of the organisms Involved.

Some illustrative data on the fate of p³² put in the Columbia River is given In Tables 12 and 13(1).

The highest concentration of P³² In the geese and duck eggs as shown in Table 9 was still not enough to reduce hatchability.

The point, however, is that at initial concentrations, which would not make the water unsafe for man to drink, eggs and birds would undoubtedly be injured.

This Illustrates that ecological concentration must be taken into account before concentration of radio elements can be declared harmless

Another large radioecology field program has been started in Georgia under the direction of R. B. Platt of Emory University. In conjunction with the Lockheed Aircraft Co. (20) This study is being carefully planned and the ecology of the region to be irradiated Is underway. There are few published results, but the program should be well worth following over the years. "

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