wee ee 1 os . De Ce AD Se a tet ~ yo jena Rpm Tea ce tye ee Bir dae 1) EF te, Sa fishes 4s not known and thechemical form in which the radionuclides are present in the lagoon waters can only be surmised. We do not even know, for example, whether the radionuclides and their stable isotopes are present in the same chemical form. Furthermore, there are no uncontestable data on the trace element content of lagoon waters and probably will not be until the techniques of sampling and processing seawater samples is greatly improved. However, some hypotheses can be made and conclusions can be drawn from certain data. All of the fallout radionuclides at Bikini are found in the surface of undisturbed soils. in 1969 were 55, 6000, 57H, The predominant radionuclides . 205, 125.5, 13765, In the crater sediments only four predominate: and 20755. 7S re, 604, 90... and 20755, although many more are present in smaller quantities. The soils and sediments are now the principal reservoirs of radionuclides at Bikini. The radionuclides are available to the land animals through the vegetation, or other animals, where there is selection of specific radionuclides, or through direct ingestion of soil. In the latter case, the animal selects certain radionuclides from a wider variety of nuclides than is in the vegetation. Toy rtment of Ene perstorian’S Office ARCHIVES Similarly, the marine animals may ingest radionuclides by eating another organism or by ingesting sediments. In addition, tly from the 500 139 §he marine oxganism may absorb radionuclides direc