Operation Sandstone 1948 US Atomic Veterans Declassified Documents Radiation Burns - SANDSTONE see also 3016_.pdf IHP database. Reference: Folder C2D91, TR338, 19 Radiation Injuries, Operation SANDSTONE, LANL RECORDS CENTER. Teams to pull filter paper from B-17 drones were as follows: The names of the men involved in this incident have been removed by the gov't as part of the Privacy Act. (Name Deleted) was slightly burned. (Names deleted) were burned on ZEBRA. (Name Deleted) accompanied samples’ from YOKE back to LASL. On 4 May he went to LASL Health Division complaining of burns on his hands. His injury was mis-diagnosed as bruises. After ZEBRA (and serious burns to the other 3 people) his hands were re-diagnosed as receiving radiation burns. All 4 were hospitalized on 16 May. (Name deleted) was released 28 May as his burns were minor. According to documentation prepared at the time, the gamma readings from their film badges for ZEBRA showed the following: (Name deleted)-17r (Name deleted) -2r (Name deleted)-5.5 r (Name deleted) - 2.1 r (Name deleted)- 4.2 r (Name deleted) - 1.7 r* (*YOKE shot. ) Pictures are from Operation Sandstone: Air Force Participation. Shown here are the sequence of events that caused the severe injuries of the men removing sample papers from the B-17 Drones. Picture text is from declassified documents. Calculations were done at LASL to estimate the beta dose received by those on ZEBRA shot. They indicated that for a 90 minute exposure period the dose to the hands was roughly 500 R beta, penetrating 2-3 mm. Procedures to remove the filters were as follows: 1. The filter paper was located in two filter boxes, one on top of the B-17 drone and one on the bottom. Inside each box was one filter paper holder (wire mesh) containing two pieces of filter paper. 2. The filter boxes were designed so that quick - release pins could be removed and the boxes would be free from the aircraft. These pins were pulled remotely for the top box but were pulled by hand for the bottom box (which promptly fell to the ground). The top box was removed from the A/C by a forklift with a long fork extension. The forklift was operated from the bed of a truck which drove up to the nose of the A/C (this provided the right height). 3. The top box was then moved about 50 feet from the A/C by the forklift/truck. Two people then had to physically lift the box off the forklift tines on to the ground. The forklift then proceeded to the next drone. A team of 2 people then pulled the filter holders from the filter boxes,(Evidently the bottom filter box was not moved away from the A/C.) 5. On ZEBRA shot the bottom filter boxes were never removed from the aircraft. The filter holders were pulled from the bottom boxes on all eight drones while they were still mounted to the belly of the B-17 drones. This change was instituted to reduce exposure time near the drones and the filter boxes. 6.The filter paper holders were moved to an area away from the drones and filter boxes (several feet). The holders were opened and the two papers per holder removed. Each filter paper had to be identified by aircraft number. This was done by-stapling a numbered tag to the paper. 7. The papers were then placed in lead pigs which were located in the back of a jeep. The pigs were flat shallow lead boxes which held several filter papers. A lead lid was then placed over the top of each box. 8. From all available evidence there was only TG 7.6 monitor for the entire operation. 9. Four foot long tongs were available to handle the filter paper; however, they were rarely used. They were unweildy and difficult to handle. The wind always blew pretty hard at Enewetak making use of the tongs next to impossible. The paper just couldn’t be controlled in the wind with tongs. (However, they were supposed to use the tongs.) 10. Therefore, the men usually held the paper by hand. They all wore gloves. Some had rubber gloves under the cotton gloves and some did not. During paper removal on ZEBRA, Lang complained of itching hands and changed his gloves at least once. Gloves were regular cotton issue and were brought from the ship by members of the team on their own volition. On ZEBRA, team members stayed on a ship until the night before the shot. They stayed in very comfortable quarters on Enewetak Island the last night so they could be ready when the drones landed. (Name deleted) remembers returning to the quarters after pulling filters and taking a thorough shower because he knew he was hot. (Name deleted) did the same. Presumably the entire crew did this. Most, if not all, the team accompanied the samples back to LASL. and (Name deleted) knew they had trouble even before they arrived at LASL. Their hands were red, swollen and itching. All 3 were hospitalized on arrival (Name deleted), was called back to the hospital the same day, the 16th of May. (Name deleted) statement (taken in May 1948) indicates that everyone had a dosimetry badge, a 200 mr dosimeter and a 10 r dosimeter. No one had much faith in the dosimeters. His 10 r dosimeter went off scale during sample pulling operations. (Name deleted) statement indicates that his 10 r dosimeter went off scale on YOKE shot. (Name deleted) statement indicates that his 10 r dosimeter read 8.5 r. Also he stated that the background gamma reading at one point where they were working near the drones was 500 mr/hr. (Name deleted) statement indicates that his 10 r dosimeter read 7 r. Records indicate that (Names deleted) were hospitalized through late August 1948. In December 1948, all three were sent to Dr. James Barrett Brown in St. Louis , a plastic surgeon, for skin grafts on their hands. The entire process took 4-5 years and numerous trips to St. Louis. (Name deleted) had grafts done up through 1958 and (Name deleted) through 1955. End. Atomic Veterans Photo Album: Operation Sandstone [ Home Page || What's New || Email || Family Mail Call || Notes and Hints ] [ Atomic Veterans, Atomic Test Series and Dates ] [ T-Shirts || Videos ] WW II -- Battle Of Eniwetok Information about the National Association of Atomic Veterans [ The NAAV Story || NAAV Medical Data Base Information ] Atomic Veterans History Project ©1997-2000 For use of the material found on this web site, please send us an email with your request.