ae I Table 8. Concentrations of 137Cs in the muscle tissue of fish collected from cee locations at Bikini Atoll at different times. 137¢s (pCi/kg wet wt) ourgeonfish Mullet (Crenimugil) B- eee we ie Period sampled 1/77 263 11/78 397 2/81 227 8/83 287 9/84 | LAN 9/80 ‘Acanthurus) B-5 B-] B-6 Goatfish (Mulloidichtys) B-6 Mullet (Neomyxus) B-17 "40 133 5] 226 l2 16 13 12 v 60 2] 320 430 43 .53 Unless there is some unforeseen impact on the lagoon, such as the disposal of uncontained, contaminated soil to the lagoon floor, there should be no significant change in the mean concentration of !37cs in the flesh of fish collected from Bikini in the near future (other than a continuous reduction from radioactive decay). Any concentrations of !3/cs in the muscle tissue of fish caught at the atoll in future years should fall below the upper limit noted in the last 8-year period. Hence, future dose rates to - STM re individuals from 137Cs in the fish-food pathway may be predicted with a reasonable degree of certainty from a knowledge of the islands to be fished, the consumption rate of reef and pelagic fish, and parts of the fish normally eaten. | STRONTIUM-90 IN FISH Concentrations of 90Sr were measured in the tissues from a small subset of the fish, primarily from the collections made in 1978. Inspection of Table 6 shows that most of the 99Sr accumulated by fish is, unlike 137¢s, associated with non-edible parts such as bone and viscera. In. surgeonfish, goatfish, and snapper, most of the body burden of 29Sr is found in the bone tissue. The high In mullet, however, the viscera contains the major fraction of 90sr. concentration of 90Sr in the viscera is associated with the bottom sediments, 5000569 probably due to 90Sr which are ingested with food and are 15