60

RADIOLOGICAL CLEANUP OF ENEWETAK ATOLL

1968, resulted in a high-order detonation which scattered propellant ove,
the western tip of Enjebi.?! The location of the HEUSoperation is shown
in Figure 1-58.

The engine started operating normally but, after a short time, j,
exhibited uncontrolled burning which resulted in destruction of the

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HARDTACK
STATION
1312

X-RAY GZ

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COAX CABLE RUN

7

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oy

HEUS
ROCKET LAUNCH
PAO 1968
LAGOON

FIGURE 1-58. PROJECT HEUS, ENJEBI.

engine, spalling of the concrete blockhouse to which it was attached, and
the spreading of beryllium metal and oxides over a wide area in a
nonuniform manner. After wetting the area thoroughly, a
decontamination crew scraped dirt from the surface inside a circle of 00
feet radius. The dirt was buried in the crater resulting from the explosion.
In addition to soil contamination, some beryllium was plated on the
surface of a concrete blockhouse. No attempt was madeat that time to
determine the exact location or extent of contamination. An investigation
was made in May 1969 and, although the area was indicated to besafe
without protective clothing or breathing apparatus, the results also were

.

considered to be equivocal because of the random nature of the
contamination pattern.
A second firing conducted in January 1970 was successful and did not
result in an explosion. The U.S. Air Force Environmental Health
Laboratory took soil samples before, during, and after firing. The results

were published in the Laboratory’s Report Number 71M-2.92 Sampling

ey

Select target paragraph3