Damage to Livestock From Radioactive Fallout in Event of Nuclear War: A Report (1963)

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3MWUN Ine 3udcommittee on Iive8tock vamaße ot tne llational ^ca6emv ot 3cience8' ^6vi8orv Oommittee on 0ivil veten8e da8 examine6 experimental an6 od8ervational report8 ot tne ettect8 ot ra6ioactive tallout upon ladoratorv an6 6ome8ticate6 animal8. In 8ome area8 tne intormation i8 a6equate tor rea8onadle e8timate8 ot 6amaße to tarm animal8, dut in otner8 tne 6ata are 8cant. Ini8 lack ot intormation i8 particularlv noticeadle vnen an attempt i8 ma6e to a88e88 tne relation8nip detveen external an6 internal expo8ure to tallout. Ini8 8tore ot intormation mu8t de improve6 an6 increa8e6. Lenerallv in tne ca8e ot ßroun6 dur8t 6etonation8 ot nuclear veapon8, tne N22ar6 to animal8 vill de larßelv a re8ult ot particulate tallout vnicn 6eliver8 external total»do6v ra6iation to animal8 in tne tallout tiel6, i.e., vnen tnev are relativelv clo8e to tne point ot 6etonation. Ine8e particle8 are not rea6ilv metadoli2e6 bv eitner inße8tion or indalation. ^8 tne 6i8tance trom or time alter 6etonation increa8e8 tnere i8 a cnanße in cnaracter an6 8oludilitv ot tde tallout particle8, an6 tne da2ar6 de» come8 one cnietlv relate6 to tne inße8tion ot ra6ioactive particle8. In air dur8t8, mucn le88 local tallout vill de pro6uce6, tdoußd it vill prod» adlv de rea6ilv metadoli2e6 dv plant8 an6 animal8. animal8 are le88 8en8itive to protracte6 lov ra6iation 6o8e rate ex» po8ure8 tdan to driet nißd ra6iation 6o8e rate expo8ure8. Ineretore, it tnere i8 a 6elav ot 8everal dour8 in tne arrival ot tallout (8o tdat ra6ia» tion inten8itv i8 lover tdan imme6iatelv atter tde dur8t) it i8 likelv tdat tarm animal8 can vitd8tan6 a con8i6eradlv nißner 6o8e tdan ve dave e8timate6 tor tne i.v5n/In ^or driet expo8ure8. In particular, it da8 deen note6 tdat 8vine require a verv ßreat increa8e in expo8ure to pro6uce tne me6ian letdal 6o8e it it i8 ßiven at a rate ot 50 r/6a^ in8tea6 ot all vitdin 2^ dour8. In otner animal8 tni8 ettect ma^ not de 8o ßreat dut 8till i8 8ud8tantial. Ine ettect8 prc>6uce6 on ßene8 an6 tertilit^ d^ tallout are prodadlv not 8eriou8 prodlem8 in tarm animal8. ?re8ent practice8 01 8election ot dree6inß animal8 re6uce8 tne ßenetic con8equence8 8ud8tantiallv. ^nimal8, dotd male an6 temale, od8erve6 tor a numder ot ^ear8 dave not decome per» manentlv 8terile atter expo8ure to 6c>8e8 in tne I^«/In ranße or nißner. It i8 delieve6 tnere i8 little likelidoo6 tdat anv population ot tarm animal8 8urvivinß total-dcxlv ra6iation vill de eliminate6 decau8e ot in» tertilitv. It i8 dißdlv unlikelv tdat tocxl 8ucn a8 mu8cle meat, milk, an6 eßß8 6erive6 trom expo8ecl dut 8urvivinß animal8 vill contain enoußd ra6io» activitv to re8ult in i>mne6iate 6eleteriou8 ettect8 upon tne con8umer. It

i8 da8ic, dovever, tdat vnerever cnoice exi8t8, con8umption 8doul6 de limite6 to too6 ot tne love8t contamination availadle. llurinß an emerßer>cv perio6, too6 tdat i8 unacceptadle dv peacetime 8tan6ar68 mav dave to de u8e6 to 8u8tain lite an6 to provi6e tne ener8v nee6e6 tor pertorminß e88en» tial ta8k8, 8ince 8tarvation an6 tne leavinß un6one ot e88ential ta8k8 mav po8e a tar more 8eriou8 tnreat tdan tne ra6iation in^urv to con8umer8. ?er8on8 dan6linß or 8laußdterinß expo8e6 animal8 mißdt de in Ganßer «t indalinß contamination trom 6u8tv ni6e8 an6 ot external expo8ure trom tall» out particle8 remaininß on tne animal ni6e8 or ln 6i8car6e6 orßan8. Ine 6eßree ot 6anßer vill 6epen6 upon tne precaution8 taken dv tne dan6ler anci tne protection tdat can de attor6e6 nim. ?oo6-pro6ucinß animal8 can 8erve to tilter or partiallv clean8e too6 eventuall^ con8ume6 dv man. ^6vantaße 8doul6 de taken ot tni8 entrappinß an6 tilterinß or dol6up capacitv. ladle X ot tdi8 6ocument ßive8 tne re» 6uction ratio8 ot tnree common ti88ion ra6ioi8otope8 an6 tne amount ot tne8e nucli6e8 to vnicn a cov mav de 8ud^ecte6 detore tne too6 it pro6uce» i8 at tne maximum level tdat mav de permitte6 tor man in an emerßencv ex» po8ure. It i8 8ußße8te6 tdat in an emerßencv tne8e value8 de u8e6 to ßuicie 6eci8ion»maker8, particularlv in connection vitd too6 tor cnil6ren, atter tne level8 ot tne 8pecitic i8otope8 in que8tion dave deen 6etermine6. Inev can al8o de u8e6 to pre6ict tne concentration level8 in tne too6 pro6uce6 it tne amount ot tne8e ra6ioi8otope8 in tne toraße i8 knovm. Ue al8o 8ußße8t tnat tne ilezd an6 eßß8 ot poultrv mav 8erve a8 a particularlv u8etul protein 8ource. ?oultrv are more re8i8tant to ra6ia» tion expo8ure8 tdan mammal8: nen8 quicklv eliminate tde metadoli2e6 ti88ion pro6uct8 8ucn a8 ra6io8trontium an6 ra6iodarium dv vav oi tne eßß 8nell8 dv a rapi6 an6 irequent modili2ation ot ladile done 8alt8. ?urtnermore, tneii- u8ual dou8inß ßive8 tnem a mo6erate protection; tnev are u8uallv te6 8tore6 an6 nence unexpo8e6 tocxl8; an6 tinall^, tnev are ea8ilv tran8porte6, can d« 8laußdtere6 an6 6re88e6 dv con8umer8, an6 6o not reczuire retrißeration 8ince tnev can de kept alive until tdev are nee6e6 an6 can de con8ume6 imme6iatelv aiter 8laußdter. Karine 1oo68, dotd tre8d an6 8alt vater, coul6 al8o 8erve a8 a rea8on» adlv 8ate 8ud8titute or a66itional protein 8ource. kurtnermore, larße vater ma88e8 vill de 8ate tor ti8nermen verv quicklv tollovinß tne arrival ot tallout, decau8e tne particle8 vill 8ettle rapi6lv to tne dottom an6 tde interveninß vater vill provi6e 8niel6inß trom tne ßamma ra6iation8 ot tde particle8.