2
and after severe storms. Cracking or settling of the panels should not
be of concern, but breaches in the riprap should be repaired to provide
protection against wave action during storms.
1.2

Related Issues
The committee was asked that its assessment of the Cactus Crater
structure be "set against an understanding of the expected living
patterns of the people of Enewetak in terms of their degree of contact

with Runit Island and their exposure otherwise to residual radiocactivity on the atoll."

1.2.1

In this regard the committee makes two comments.

Runit Island

There is a hazard of uncertain magnitude on Runit Island because

of the possible presence of plutonium not located and removed during
the cleanup (a situation unique to Runit), and, for this reason, Runit
has been made off-limits, a status the committee does not dispute.
It

iz likely, however, that the people of Enewetak and others believe

Runit to be off-limits because of hazards associated with the
containment structure. The committee therefore emphasizes that its
eonclusion regarding the safety of the structure should not be inter‘preted to mean that Runit is thought to be harmless. It may well be
that an important future function ef the containment structure will be
to serve as a reminder to everyone that the island is to be avoided in
view of the possible presence of plutonium there.
.
1.2.2

Enjebi Island

It is likely that the Dri-Enjebi sooner or later will resettle

.

their home islands in the northern part of the atoll. Radiation
exposures associated with such a move far exceed any exposures that can
be associated with the dome or with the radioactivity remaining in the
lagoon.
Indeed, for people who might live on Enjebi in the near
future, radiation exposures due to strontium-90 or cesium-137 in
locally grown foods may become excessive in relation to current 9.S.
standards for a general population, especially if food is not imported
from other islands of the atoll or from outside.

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