The radioactive content of samples of rain, surface water, soil, plants, and material from the beds of surface waters (bottom silt) which were collected and analyzed during 1953 are given in this report. Samples were collected form the Laboratory site, at locations with 25 miles, and at places 100 miles from the Laboratory. Since Laboratory waste water is discharged into Sawmill Creek, water from the this stream was analyzed daily. Other samples were collected from the Laboratory site periodically, and collections from the off-site locations were made at approximately quarterly intervals. Most of the results were obtained by counting total alpha and beta activity; selected samples were analyzed for specific nuclides and elements. The total activity measurements provided a rapid means of determining general levels of radioactivity which could be compared between samples and indicated which samples should be analyzed in more detail. Radioactive contamination attributable to Laboratory operations was found only in water and bottom silt taken from Sawmill Creek below the outfall of Laboratory waste water (below site).

Report issued by the Argonne National Laboratory discussing progress made on reactor development. Progress made on the core, pressure vessel and shield, and the power plant are presented. This report includes tables, and illustrations.

Concurrently with the production of canned uranium slugs for pile operation there arises the problem of nondestructive testing so that no slug which may fail structurally during operation be placed in the pile. The ultimate goal of any such testing program is to devise nondestructive testing methods which will eliminate defective slugs. A secondary goal of the testing program is to learn as much as possible about the construction of the canned slug so that the mechanisms of failure can be understood. Radiography, an increasingly useful nondestructive test method, offered one possible way of investigating this area.