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LUNITED STATES
ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, O.C.
20543
ii
December 23, 1974
Warren D. Johnsoa
Lieutenant General, USAF
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Director
Defeuse Nuclear Agency
Washington, D. C. 20305
Dear General Johnson:
Please refer to my letter of December 9, 1974, transmitting AEC
comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Clean Up,
Rehabilitation, Resettlement of Enewetak Atoll - Marshall Islands.
It is requested that our comments be revised to include the following additional information:
During the last 8 years the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA),
formerly the European Nuclear Energy Agency (ENEA), has
managed an ocean disposal program for radioactive wastes
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hen.
from the member countries. The following, by years, is
a listing of the curies (Ci) of alpha activity in the
materials so disposed.
be Pu 239.
1974
1975
1972
1971
-
416
773
674
324
The alpha activity is assumed to
1970
1969
1968
1967
Total
-
233
390
721
92
3633 Ci - alpha
Other operations from 1949 to 1967; such as U.S. and U.K.,
disposed of wastes containing similar quantities of longlived alpha active materials.
Thus, a total of at least
7,000 alpha Ci have been disposed of into the ocean. If
we assume 15 grams of Pu per Ci alpha activity, the total
is at least 100 kilograms of Pu. Thus, it is evident the
disposal of a few hundred grams of Pu from Enewetak Atoll
would not materially add to the alpha activity already
disposed in the deep ocean.
cc: HG&N Mr. Woolfenden) _ 1/8/75
AFRRI, lr. Slaback)