INTRODUCTION
During the period 1946 through 1958, the atoll of Bikini, centered
about 11°36'N, 16522'E, was the site of approximately 23 nuclear

detonations.

After the atoll of Bikini was selected as a test area

the native population, numbering approximately 166, was eventually
resettled in 1948 on Kili, a single island in the southern
Marshalls, following brief stays on Rongerik and Kwajalein atolls.
Discrete test series were conducted at Bikini Atoll in 1946, 1954,
1956, and 1958 and included both fission and fusion devices.

Due

to their proximity to the detonation sites, or the vagaries of the
weather, all of the islands of the atoll were contaminated to some
extent by radioactive fallout.
In 1964 and again in 1967, radiological surveys of the atoll were conducted under the auspices of the Division of Biology and Medicine of
the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission.

The 1967 survey yielded an

extensive amount of data relative to the external radiation levels!)
and the coricentration of radioactive materials in the marine
environment as well as in the edible land plants and animal life.

(2)

Following the 1967 survey, an Ad Hoc Committee was convened to evaluate
the radiological hazards of resettlement of the Bikini Atoll.

The

conclusions of the committee included the following statement:

"The

exposures to radiation that would result from the repatriation of the
Bikini pesye do not offer a significant threat to their health and
safety." (9

On August 12, 1968, President Johnson announced the

decision to return the Bikinians to their atoll.

A joint AEC-DASA

effort was initiated to eliminate any physical or radiological
hazards remaining on the atoll and to prepare the islands of Bikini
and Eneu for agricultural redevelopment.
program was initiated in February 1969.

This phase of the cleanup
The data provided in this

report result from the radiological cleanup effort associated with
this aspect of the program.

Select target paragraph3