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The residual radioactive contamination on the Marshall Isiands and
in the eae water vas evaluated two years after the nuclear
detonation of Operation C.’5TLE by an examination of plants, soil,
water, fish, marine invertebrates, birds and land animals ard by gam-
ma survey of the islands,
:
The activity in lngcca, ocear, cistern and well water was either of a
low order of magnitu’: or imperceptible, in soil, the activity remained
firmly affixed to the surface, Garama dose uivastiements indicated
that the reduction ia the gamma field aver tic past year was attributable
to radioactive decay rather than te leaching
from the soil.
or eroding of the nuclides
Expression of Sr* assays in terms of sunshine units showed that
portulaca, cocoaut hu3ks, pandanus keys and air roots,and certain potable water exceed the maximum permissidle concentration.
'. .
Significant levels of activity remaaiced in land animals although marine
life contained the hisshest cuncantrat:.ns of internally deposited radionuclides of the animals analyzed, oe sevels of activity in fish were
approximataly one foust> of those ¢eiermined at one year post-cctonaticn,
However, the tissue distrisuc.an ot tonwiey nad rot alvered oi2iclicaitlye
The rare earth group constioited a srm.il fraction of the total activity
in fish and a larger proportion in riarine invertebrates,
Strontium-930
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In plants, readiiy deiectable levels of gross activity were found, The
activity of portulaca exceeded that of other plants. In general, leafy
structures were more 2t:ve than their fruit counterpart in the coconut
palm, pandanus and arsnwroot, The primary contaminating isotope in
coconuts, pandanus keys and arrowroot tubers was cesium-137,. On the
other hand, structural parts accumulated the rare earth radioelements.
The relative nuclide camposition in these plants was similar to that of
a year 220. Cocoruts vere more radicactive in the current survey than
in the previous one, ‘J:terpretation of the data indicated that this fruit
possessed an unusuai cuipacity to concentrate cesium-137.
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