- 39 they are the concern of all,
thus it is essential to begin
now to accumulate the information that will be needed to
make wise recommendations about sea disposal of radioactive
wastes,
In the United States something less than 6,000
curies of low level wastes were added to the water off the
Atlantic coast between 1951 and 1958.
The amount disposed
of is a maximum estimate as it often was estimated from
the quantity received by the user without correction for
loss during use or for radioactive decay.
The waste, which
is contained in more than 8,400 drums of 55-gallon
to which concrete was added,
capacity
has been deposited in more than
seven localities in designated areas about 200 miles otf the
Atlantic coast in approximately 1,000 fathoms of water (NASNRC No. 655).
It is doubtful ir radioisotopes from these
Gisposals can be detected in Atlantic coastal waters by
conventional means.
A Committee of the National Academy of Sciences
has recently considered the use of areas closer to shore
than the present disposal sites for disposal of radioactive
wastes.
Carefully determined values for the concentration
of radioisotopes in sea water have been established by the
Committee (NAS-NRC No.
655)
and it is their opinion that