EVALUATION OF RADIOACTIVITY IN THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT
OF THE PACIFIC PROVING GROUND
During the years 1946 to 1962 a number of atomic detonations
were carried out under water,
water of the central Pacific.
over water,
or on
land near the
Most of these experiments took
place at tropical Bikini and Eniwetok Atolls in the Marshall
Islands,
east.
and at Johnston,
Christmas,
and Malden Islands farther
While these experiments were conducted primarily to measure
physical forces,
they also contributed in a marked degree to a
better understanding of the distribution of the radionuclides
produced.
Biologists have been a part of the scientific team activity
since the detonation of the first test device over the sea at
Bikini Atoll, July 1,
1946.
Thus,
it has been possible to study
the radioactive materials produced from the weapon tests and
deposited in the sea and on the islands.
Even where the radio-
nuclides become diluted to infinitesimal quantities by ordinary
standards,
it has been possible to follow the distribution and
biological cycling of these materials.
Hines
(1962)
has summa-
rized the general problem of evaluating this research.
Radioactive waste products in the the sea are of interest tom~m
insofar as they constitute a potential hazard in his food derived