Beta Skin Dose question

["JIM AUSTIN" <austinjd@songs.sce.com>]

     I am an Instructor at a Nuclear Power Plant and I've heard rumors of a 
     study done at Texas Tech? in which high activity particles were placed 
     on pigs in order to determine the total acute dose at which the 
     earliest non-stochastic effect could be detected. Is anyone familiar 
     with this study, and can you tell me the effect and doses involved? 
     Also as an aside I'd like to know the reasoning behind the use of 
     pigs.
     
     Thank you.
     
     Jim Austin
     austinjd@songs.sce.com