The theory and preliminary laboratory investigations presented in this technical report were intended to examine the general feasibility of injection disposal of radioactive wastes and to establish an understanding of the phenomena governing the travel of trace chemicals through natural porous media. Detailed studies of fluid velocity variations resulting from density differences between the injected and displaced liquids have been made. the ion exchange studies have been limited to strontium and calcium. Strontium 90 is considered to be the most hazardous of the fission products and should represent the radioisotope upon which to judge the merits of injection disposal. Consideration should also be given to cesium in evaluation the health hazards of injection disposal.

That body proteins may be altered by irradiation to such as extent as to react as foreign elements and perhaps antagonists in their own physiological environment is postulated. The plausibility of this concept was examined. The serological activity of hemocyanin isolated from the sera of the American lobster, as measured by the quantitative, turbidimetric precipitin reaction, was found to be altered by in vitro x irradiation. Beta particles from internally deposited P32 produced chronic changes in the specificity of some proteins of rat serum, and quantitative changes were observed in the serum albumin and globulin of x-irradiated animals. Increased concentrations of these components in the sera of normal animals produced reactions similar to serological reactions.

This technical report represents a brief survey of work by this project on the effects of ultraviolet radiation (UV) on certain of the photochemical and metabolic properties of rhubarb chard and sugar beet (Beta vulgaris). These plants were selected for this work because for some years they have been used as sources of chloroplasts for Hill reaction studies in this laboratory. Some of this work has appeared as a brief paper.