3
Pandanus and coconut samples contg ined, as is common for plants 1550" the
Heese Islands, naturally occurring
*~K and fallout radionuclides !3/Cs and
Of the three Pandanus and three 9gconut tissues analyzed, the edible
fruit of the Pandanus had the highest | Cs values, 15 to 31 pCi/g: Strontium
90 was highest In the leaves of the Pandanus.
limits of detection.
Plutonium levels were below the
Three species of fish were collected at Rongerik Atoll.
Potassium-40
was ths only radionuclide present in quantities above 0.6 pCi/g.
and
Cs levels were Tess than 0.6 pCi and
of detection.
Cobalt-60
7“¥Sr values were below the limits
The 137¢5/40x ratio in the three coconut crabs from Rongerik was 2.5+0.6.
Cesium-137 values in the muscle and hepatopancreas averaged 29 and 10 pCi/g,
{dry} except in one hepatopancreas sample which had a concentrationngf 4.3
pCi/g.
In the exoskeleton Osr levels averaged 44+5 pCi/g, while 13/cs levels
ranged from 2.5 to 3.5 pCi/g.
Utirik Atoll
In April and November, 1974, samples of soil, plants and marine organisms
were collected at Utirik Island. These samples were analyzed for gamma-
emitting radionuclides and some were also analyzed for 90Sr and/or Pu.
Results
are shown in Appendix Tables 9 (fish), 12 (soil), 13 (plants), and 14 (clams).
Five surface soil samples collected in the interior of Utirik Island had
radionuclide concentrations of less than one pCi/g except for
Cs and 90sr
values which averaged 2.8+1.6 and 2.7+1.7 pCi/g, respectively.
The edibl¢ fruit from a Pandanus plant located near the center of Utirik
Island had a
!3/cs level of 67 pCi/g. No other fallout radionuclides were
above the limits of detection. Bananas from Utirik had low levels of fallout
(0.5 pCi/g or less) in the edible portion of the fruit.
The marine organisms, fish and Tridacna clams, collected in the lagoon
(sec Ut iptk Isang. had low levels (<IpCi/g) of the three fallout radionuclides
Co, 90Sr and
7Cs) measured. Naturally occurring 40k values averaged
out 8 pCi/g in the tissues of fish and clams.
Rongelap
Atoll
Samples of soil, plants, fish, clams, and coconut crabs were collected
on several islands of Rongelap Atoll in April and November/December, 1974.
All samples yere analyzed for gamma-emitting radionuclides and selected
samples for 9¥sr and Pu.
Results of these analyses are shown in Appendix
Tables 6 (coconut crabs}, 9 (fish), 13 (plants), 14 (Tridacna clams), and
15 through 21 (soil).
Coconut crabs were collected from six islands in Rongelap Atoll.
Four
were from the southern islands of Arbar and Busch (lowest radiation levels
at Rongelap), five were from the northeastern islands of Mellu and Kabelle
(medium radiation levels) and four were from the northern islands of Lukuen
and Lomuilal (highest radiation levels).
The mean
137cs and
90Sr levels
in the muscle tissue of the coconut crabs is shown in Figure 3. Levels of
99sr and
'3/Cs are highest in coconut crabs collected on the northern and
northeastern islands of Rongelap Atoll.
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DOE ARCHIVES