130°
“SF
RADIOLOGICAL CLEANUP OF ENEWETAK ATOLL
dri-Enewetak would not appreciate any criteria which were less Stringen;
than had been used at Bikini.) He further expressed concern that if any
specific numbers were announcedascriteria, they would be rejected by
EPA.397 Thus, the ERDA advice was that Field Commandshould develop
radiological criteria, with whatever assumptions deemed suitable, ang
present it to ERDA for approval.
A concept was then formulated at Field Command for monitorip
debris. The monitoring included definitive measurements for alpha, beta,
and gammaradiation under various conditions. The criteria were Specific,
and they were forwarded to Headquarters DOE for review. A decision was
reached that the criteria were acceptable, and that they should beset forth
explicitly in Standing Operating Proceduresfor use on the atoll by cleanup
forces.
With respect to contaminated soil, the AEC Task Group had
recommended that it be removed if plutonium concentrations exceeded
400 pCi/g; removed on a case-by-case basis, considering all radiological
conditions, if plutonium concentrations were in the range of 40 to
400 pCi/g; and not be removedif plutonium concentrations wereless than
40 pCi/g.
Despite the specificity of the Task Groupcriteria for soil removal, there
still were uncertainties concerning the area/volumeofsoil to which the
plutonium concentrations were to apply. At one extreme, an “‘island
average’ could be used. At the other (impractical, but illustrative)
extreme, a gram-by-gram decision could be made. Thus, the soil cleanup
criteria also needed clarification so that techniques could be defined for
assaying and removingsoil.
Theinitial Field Commandconcept for evaluating soil was to gather and
analyze samples in a mannersimilar to that which had been usedfor the
Radiological Survey, but on a more closely spaced grid, and only in those portions of islands which appeared likely to have average concentrations
exceeding 40 pCi/g based on survey data. The question Field Command
sought to have answered by ERDA in meetings on developing a
Radiological Cleanup Plan was how many samples would be required from
any area to achieve a characterization which would satisfy certification
expectations. Once ERDA chose an in situ method in lieu of the
survey-type soil sampling method, the question changedin nature.
Another conference was held at Field Command on 28-29 December
1976,308 It produced a Radiological Cleanup Plan which was modified
slightly by Headquarters, DNA,309.310 and used as an Appendix to the
final CONPLANI-76.
In summary,radiological cleanup planning had required extensive effort
over many months by Field Command and ERDA plannersto resolve the
many questions concerning concept and method of execution. The final