wh odd eile “ta Me oa se are 3 seed a Sey c : neae aurn ape Far“a9 x be Fes dices wets ee ape eae as — tae sae pie 2S iat is at ee eg, feaMENG, St Ms BEST COPY AVAILABLE tpales eR taminated debris — that length of Last of three articles. mutated creature .will oe saying: time for the radioactivity to natural- “Runt.” By BRUCE. BENSON© 2200" ‘ly reduce itself by one-half — ranges: Aclvectiser Sctence Writer . spietes RUNIT ISLAND, Enewetak — a ee, ee ee ee, wat f 108. White: moths danced;in. and out of from five years for cobalt 60 to 24.c00 years for plutonium, Theoretically, the amount of plutonium on Runit woud have to go through.10 the shrubs of scaevola as a truck lives, or 240.000- vears, before jogglecdl clown a rutted road in low tebaved to an environmental gear toward ground zero. It's a-safe. - safe for people tolive here. . place for a casual visit, said Capt. After a cleanun operation Chuck Bay, but everyone nervously kent glaticing Geiger counter. anyway toward his Runit was the site of several nuclear explosions in the U.S. weaponstesting program of the coid war. One fell an overwhelming desire to suddenly Jearn more about alpha, beta and gamma rays as the truck bounced toward uvo craters at the northern end of the little island. The radioactive half-lives of conee Nem mem Ne Sr Aeeeerne” nce fee eeee a half- level ” ads but it will remain quarantined to prohibit permanent residents. To ease tension aboard the truck, several bad jokes are told. The troops assigned to clean up the radioactive debris at Enewelak are ordering a speciat T-shirt, says someone. It will have a (ros ~- with two heads — and beneath, the sorked on Runit before without any > proactive clothing, out today every- one ts fitted oulin rubber boots and two face masks made of paper. one.” ever ite other. ue Runit ts the ‘‘hottest’’ of the 40 is- iands in the Enewetak atoll, partly because of large arnounts of twisted Metal debris and partly because two explosions blew a pood deal of plutonium across its landscape. One Hawaii scientist who cantped at ine craters for a mormlth was call. ed to the Mainland recently for whole bedy count of radinnuchides. See RUNIT on Page 465 ZUEE Nit 1GFF woHOM OL ULLi ADYEN sane t says,another. . Survey parties have camped and it is now under way, limited access to the island will be allowed for short peri- Foe 0&0= “Hey, Chuck, we'rejust radiant th enthusiasm about this visit.’ - Il i te * SE wateh wednesday, Jae "I was Yuad SE I nnrTot Th TU Mo, —_ marten Pee erent we a *