418 RADIOLOGICAL CLEANUP OF ENEWETAK ATOLL oa In October 1977, the Commander, Field Command requesteg complete radiological characterization of Runit in order to assure that resources were available to complete the cleanup of theisland as requireg by Case 3 of the EIS. In response to this request (described in Chapter4) the U.S. Army Element (USAE), using handtools, cleared brush from the entire Fig-Quince area so that the FRST could search it for the plutonium contaminated fragments known to be on Runit. Removal of these fragments was necessary in order to minimizetheir effect on DOE-ERSpP’, characterization of Runit soil contamination. To locate theparticles, the FRST used equipment and techniques developed by the Air Force WeaponsLaboratory team to clean up similar fragments at Johnston Atoll in 1974. Small areas were marked off and surveyed with hand-helq FIDLER probes (Figure 8-l1). When a ‘‘hot spot’’ was located, it was removed with shovels and placed in a plastic bag. Since isolating the centimeter-range fragments from the shovelful of soil was overly time consuming, most of the material bagged was soil. Between 28 November and 23 December 1977, 437 bags and 9 additional samples were collecteg by the FRST. Each bag was tied, numbered,andstored in a bunkeron Runit pending determination by DOE of their final disposition. DOE. ERSP believed that someof the fragments might be high grade plutonium which could be extracted economically for reuse and, therefore, should notbe placedin the crater.35.36 FIGURE 8-11. A FIDLER SURVEY ON RUNIT. aye