that would be eaten by the people have since bean found to be low.

Thus, when

tha coconut trees and other fuod-ebearing plants reached an age where fruits
became’ available, this oagium was transferred to the bodiea of the people,
When these high radiation lavels were found in the people in 1978, it was
realited

that

the

initial

estimates of the amount of radiation

were

low

and

the people were removed from the atoll.

DIFPERENCES BETWEEN BIKINI ATOLL AND ENEWETAK ATOLL

Some people wonder why the U.3. government. did not clean up Bikini Atell

the way they did Enawetak Atoll.
The reason is that the atom bomb tests had different affects on the two
atolls.
1.

Same of the differences are given below.

The northern islands on the Enéwetak Atoll

had much more plutonium and

americtium in the soila than doea Bikini Atoll.

This was because of the

difference in the types of tests at the two atolls.

It was noted earlier

that plutonium and americium remain radioactive for many, many years and
that

the

plutonium and

Therefore,
removed

americium remain near

tha

surface

gome of the plutonium and americium at

of

the

so4]

Enewetak could be’

by shallow scraping without destroying the island.

This maant

that when the atrontium and ceaium disappeared, the island could be uagad.
Without
Never

the oleanup,

have

been

used,

the northern
However,

islands of the Enewetak Atoll
the

strontium

and

the

cesium on

northern islands of Enewetak Atoll] remaj{ned aven after the cleanup.

3
=l}«

would
the

Select target paragraph3