23
amounts of ©9¢o and 137cs and lower amounts of 5°Fe than did mullet from Nam.
However conyict surgegn and mullet (Appendix Table 22) from Nam had higher
amounts of
©%Co and 13/cs than did convict surgeon fron Eneu Island the least
contaminated area of Bikini Atoll. It is likely that the mullet range more
widely within the lagoon than do the smaller convict surgeon, hence mullet
captured in one area may have accumulated the
another area.

radionuclides while in

Comparison of Radioactivity between Islands in Rongelap Atoll

At Rongelap Atoll radionuclide concentrations in the soil increase as one

moves northward along the east side of the atoll (Figure 5, Table 4). Of the
islands sampled at Rongelap Atoll, soil from Rongelap Island has the least
amount of radioactivity, while soil from the northern islands of Lukuen,
Gejen, and Lomuilal has the most.
Islands (Mellu, Kabelle) on the east

side of the atol] have intermediate amounts of radionuclides in the surface
soil. This soil distribution pattern corresponds with the fallout pattern

determined shortly after the Bravo test at Bikini Atoll] on 1 March 1954.

On the second of March 1954 gamma dose rates were estimated to be 3.5

roentgens per hour (r/hr) at Rongelap Island, 19 r/hr on Kabelle Island,

and , r/hr on Lomuilal Island in the northern part of the atoll (Held,
1965).

Ratios of

137¢5/90sr and 241Am/239»240py jin soil from Rongelap Atoll

are Similar (1 to 2) to the ratios found in soil from Nam and Bikini Islands

at Bikini Atoll again indicating the major source of these radionuclides was
the Bravo test.

Radioactivity in the biota also varied with island. Coconut crabs (Appendix
Table 6), fish (Appendix Table 9) and plants (Appendix Table 13) from the
southern islands of Rongelap Atol] had less radioactivity than did similar
samples from the northern island.

However, the amounts of radioactivity in the

biota did not differ as much as was noted for the surface soil.

Cesium-137

and 90Sy amounts in soil from the northern islands were 4 or more times the

amgunts found in soil from Rongelap Island, while the usual differences in
Cs and 90Sr amounts in plants and coconut crabs from these two areas were
factors of 2 to 4.

Differences in Radioactivity due to Sample Type

As noted for surveys since 1964 (Welander, et al.,1967; Held, 1971; Lynch

137cs are the primary radionuclides in biological ang

soil samples from the terrestrial environment.

In addition

Am and

¢39.240py

are important in soil, especially from Bikini and Rongelap atolls, both because
of the quantity of these radionuclides present in soil and because they are

alpha-emitting radionuclides, which have a higher potential health hazard than
most of the gamma-emitting radionuclides. Of the plants sampled, Pandanus

leaves are the best indicator species for 137Cs because they concentrate 13/Cs,

are abundant and are easily sampled throughout the year. The fruit of the
Pandanus contains greater amounts of 137Cs than do the leaves, however, the
fruit is available for only part of the year.

Pandanus leaves may also be

used as an indicator for %0sr, if coconut crabs are not available.

The exo-

also good indicator organisms since they integrate 137¢ gs well

90Sr, from a

skeleton of this crab contains the most 90Sr of any sample type analyzed, however,
coconut crabs are not present in all areas. When available coconut crabs are

wide area on an island, whereas the Pandanus integrate 13 Cs and
885, from a
relatively small area of an island.

DOE ARCHIVES

AN Re tenerhe wena aye

et al., 1975), 9%Sr and

Select target paragraph3