-JI AEC D-3446 Section 1 PROGRAM OF OPERATIONS * by d Lauren R. Donaldson s ly HISTORICAL With the initiation of the atomic energy program on the Columbia River in the State of Washington in 1943, it became evident that problerns Poof radiological contamination might arise. ; L _ ad In an effort to provide a fund of information on the effects of radiation upon aquatic organisms, the University of Washington was asked to establish a research area to work on the problems. A contract between the Office of Research and Development and the University of Washington resulted in the formation of the Applied Fisheries Laboratory. ™ on. _ Fo The basic research upon radiation continued under the direction of the Manhattan Engineering District and since 1946, under the Atomic Energy Commission. The testing program of atomic weapons at Bikini Atoll in the summer of 1946 initiated another study area, with members of the staff of the Applied Fisheries Laboratory in attendance at the tests as the Radiation Biology Unit of the Radiological Safety Section of Operations Crossroads. to ; at Bikini during the testing program have been continued since that time with | an annual field trip each year to the area to gather additional material and data. u Summaries of the data collected on the field trips have been presented in re- | ports forwarded to the Atomic Energy Commission. y- Following the Eniwetok tests in 1948, the work of the Laboratory was sae tees . mae teams Se | extended to include a radio-biological survey of that area. The first Eni- welok collections were made the day following the Runit Island shot. Collec- tions and observational data were augmentedby the fieldexpedition during August, 1948, *This report is based on work performed under Contract No, W-28-094-eng-33 | xe the Atomic Energy Commission and in cooperation with the United States Navy, + neeeeatatinettt sacea Studies started eervyy Au oS 76 Rete LLNS TAnl » Ye Nt . Ox