the “effective rainfall" and may decrease the time required to evaluate
whether natural processes (rainy season) will reduce the radionuclide
inventory in the root zone area.
In addition the scale of the experiment
could be expanded and encompass larger areas of land which currently have
producing coconut trees where radionuclide inventories appear to be stable and
are perhaps being reduced only by radiological decay.
Results from current programs would provide guidance for expanded projects
directed at these 2 basic remedial action concepts.
The acquisition of such
information could be very significant for the people and makes such basic
experiments a critical part of the long term research goals of the Marshall
Island program.
4.)
Radionuclide Distribution in Copra Products
The only cash crop for the northern Marshall Island atolls is copra.
Cesium -137 and 906, are absorbed through the root system of the coconut
trees and incorporated into the coconut meat which can be used directly or
dried (i.e. copra).
Consequently, it is essential to know how the
radionuclides are distributed in the products resulting from processing of the
copra.
The common method of processing copra, and the method used at the large
commercial plant in Majuro,
is to squeeze the copra at high pressure and
temperature to produce coconut oi] and a dry residua) pulp material which is
commonly used for animal feed.
Therefore, it is necessary to determine the
concentration of the major radionuclides in the copra products in order to
evaluate the possible use of the products in the world market and to provide
the data base for assessing the potential dose to man from use of the products.
38
el meal anal ame eee beea
Irrigation of these plots will increase
I atl taek
concentration in the ground water.