ANIMALS AND FOWL
The concentration of radionuclides in pigs and chickens at the Atoll is
dependent on how long the animals were on a specific island and whether or not
they were penned or unpenned.
The penned pigs were fed more table scraps,
much of which originated in imported foods, and thus have a lower radionuclide
concentration in their bodies than pigs that were unpenned, free roaming, and
consuming more native foods, such as coconut, crabs, morning glory vine, and
other vegetation.
Not surprisingly, the '37cs and 90Sr concentration in pigs
can vary considerably depending on how they are kept.
Although the pigs can have a significant concentration of '3/’Cs in their
soft tissue, locally raised pigs are consumed only on special
Consequently,
the average
annual
occasions.
intake of locally raised pork is
overall contributes in a small way to the estimated dose.
low and
As the 137¢s
concentration is reduced in the local vegetation, the !37Cs concentration in
pigs and chickens will also be expected to decline.
GROUND WATER AND RAINFALL
The major source of water for consumption and cooking purposes at the
Atoll
is rainwater collected from rooftops and stored in cisterns.
This
source of water is generally available a good portion of the year and has very |
low concentrations of !37cs, 90Sr, 239+240py ang 24)am (Noshkin et al., 1977,
1981).
If a
long drought occurs,
potable.
then ground water may be used if it is
|
.
The ground water on contaminated islands contains radionuclides in direct
proportion to the concentration of the radionuclides in the soil.
The higher
the concentration of radionuclides in the soil, the higher will be their
concentration in the ground water.
The concentrations of !37cs, 905r, 239+240py, and @41Am in the ground
water on Eneu Island are well below EPA recommended limits for drinking water,
and the ground water is a suitable source of drinking water.
In addition,
because of the geologic structure of Eneu Island and the runoff from the
runway and apron, there is a large supply of very high quality fresh water;
the measured salinities are less than 100 ppm.