Apples and Serpents in Paradise

Poison or Radiation?

"We've tested the water and the land near the mountains. There is no usual traces of arsenic or mercury in the water or soil. There is no unusual amount of radiation." Eddie Reed assured Teuila.

They were sitting on the back porch of Teuila's bungalow. Eddie Reed, Tony Fetcillo, Nash Spencer, and Charlie King were all there drinking tea. "What about testing the people for radiation." King spoke up.

"It's possible." Tony said. "It is possible that if it is radiation poisoning that not only are the people affected, so are their surroundings. Find the sick people, we find the source of the poisoning."

"I have a record of the people who were sick from Doctor Bao." Teuila produced papers with the names of the people who were sick and where they were from on the island. "I was trying to coordinate who were sick, and where they were on the island. A majority of these people are from the interior, most of them towards the South."

"That would certainly indicate the mountains." Charlie said. "It's possible that radioactive material was blown down from the mountains into the plains during the rainy season."

"I think most of that material has absorbed into the soil itself by now." Eddie said in a dismissive tone. "No, that wouldn't have happened."

"What about the collapsing of that same soil. Coming down the slope in the form of a landslide. What would happen then?" King said.

"That is possible, but the people affected would have to actually be in the area of the landslide, nor have we heard of such a landslide." Eddie was beginning to dislike King. He asked too many questions.

"Teuila." King looked over at Teuila as he spoke. "Most of the native animals that are still on this island are in the mountains, the same with plants. Is it possible that people are going into the mountains looking for plants or animals that were once native to the island?"

"I don't know why. The British first discovered this island a hundred years fifty years ago. Since that time they ruled our island as a protectorate. Over the last century every native plant and animal was replaced with European or some non-native tropical plant. Our animals are pigs, chickens, goats, and the like. If there are animals or plants who survived in the mountains after the colonization and the fallout then they deserved to be left alone." Teuila didn't think much survived in those mountains, they were mostly barren jagged rocks. The ancient bobes of the long dead volcano that formed Waka.

"What about the spit?" Nash remembered that there was a bit of land on the other side of the mountain. "Is it possible that natives are going onto that part of the land for some reason."

"No." Teuila said. "The spit is a bit of black, hard lava where nothing grows. There are no plants or animals. After the fallout, not even the fishermen go to that side of the island. When the British first colonized the island, there were rituals that were held there. The last ritual held there was seventy-five years ago. After that the islanders became Christians. The rocks are dangerous, there is no land passage past the mountain. Nobody has a reason to go there."

"But, the radiation level there is high enough to cause radiation sickness." King noted.

"Yes, which is another reason why the islanders have avoided the spit." Teuila pointed out. "No one wants radiation sickness."

"Yet, it seems we have cases of radiation sickness anyway." King said. "There has to be a reason for it."

Eddie and Tony may not like Charlie King, but they were aware of the fact that he was right. Where there were cases of radiation poisoning, there had to be a source of radiation. They didn't want to suit up in radiation suits. It would cause unnecessary questions. Especially from Spencer and King. They took their radiation meters though.

Driving out in their Jeep, one of the few on the island, the two men arrived at the mountains at the Northern end of the islands. Mountains was a misnomer. It was the rim of the ancient volcano that created the island. Tall narrow ridges. Made up of hardened lava, as solid as any granite outcropping. The black rim of the volcano had protected the island from the Castle Bravo fallout. It protected the island from tropical storms from the North. Now it was a possible concern.

"Tony, there is only 2.5 rads indicated in this area." They stood in the thin strip of hills that lined the ancient rim. "That could actually be typical background radiation."

"We check the entire rim if necessary." Tony said. "I'm taking plant samples. I want to see what amount might be in the plants themselves."

"You think they may be absorbing Caesium-137? Like on some of the islands near the Bikini Atoll." Caesium-137 was similar to potassium in many ways, only radioactive. It had been present in the coconut milk on the other islands, causing the evacuation of the islands.

"I hope we don't have to evacuate the island." Tony hated the thought of leaving the island after four years of study. It was the long term effects of low level radiation on the inhabitants they came to study. The water had about 2.5 rads of radiation. The food roughly the same. Tony and Eddie were so confident that the long term effects were negligible that they hadn't bothered not to drink the local water or not eat the local cuisine.

"Only if we find a higher radioactive absorbed dose than usual." Radioactive absorbed dose was often abbreviated to rad. "Lets say over twenty rads."