~2cocoannt palm and other plants can be made.
In any event, such internal
contamination of plents as mey have occ rred will steedily diminish with
time,
Tho most significant factor in the Rongelap situation is time in
relation to radioactive decay.
On this basis alone the Rongelap land
arcag will be below the pernissible occupational exposure rate in about
12 nonths, no allowance being made for the additional decontaminating
effect of weather, especially the heavy tropical rains.
Profound alternations of the Bikini Laroon faune have, of course,
already occurred and shortly after Mareh 1 highl, contaminated fish
specimens were taken in the Rongelap Layzoon,
The spocies of fish wich
predominate in these atolls are nonemigratory and unlikely to be taken
dn tha course of fishing outside the lagoons in question.
By tle tine
the islands sre weady for reoccupancy, even the most bighly contaninated
fish will no longer be canzerous as food.
No other fallout of consequence occurred ethem-thanthetuotest.
ethan, Chan thy tine fret cheb
in the atolis nentioned curing the remaining detonations of the 1954 series
nor were there any concentrations of health sipnificance over any of the
other Marshall Islands.
In summary, it is unlikely that any significant abnormality will be
found an @lther the flora or fauna outside the two test atolls.
These
astters will be the subject of continuing investigation in an elaborate
program of ecologic study that was, in fact, put into operation before
thea first thermonuclear detonation of Novenber 1, 1952,