Atomic veteran

Abstract: : This report documents DTRA s study conducted from 1994 to 2004 to develop a urine bioassay program and investigate the feasibility of this method to complement the atomic veteran dose reconstruction under the Nuclear Test Personnel Review Program. Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) used fission track analysis (FTA) to estimate doses to the Marshallese Island population. In this study, BNL s FTA method was evaluated to determine if it can be applied to atomic veterans by measuring plutonium in urine samples. Guided by Congressional legislation (PL 105-85), DTRA conducted a pilot study involving 100 atomic veterans to see if expanded use on atomic veterans was feasible. The activities in this study consisted of establishing a calibration system for measuring plutonium content in urine samples; determining the accuracy, repeatability, and sensitivity of FTA; and measuring background plutonium levels in a representative U. S. population not involved with nuclear weapons testing or plutonium work. The results for the 100 atomic veterans were compared to those of the unexposed population, and veterans with results that were statistically above background were identified. Finally, bioassay results were compared to doses estimated by reconstruction.