BIKINI ATOLL
Radionuclide concentrations measured in cistern water at Bikini,
Table 2,
are
are
less
presently
atolls.
than recommended
higher
than
the
Federal guidelines
concentrations
in
shown in
for drinking water but
water
supplies
at
other
Several processes may contribute to this phenomenon.
Water collects
surfaces.
These
in
the cisterns
surfaces
face
through
the
troughs connected
prevailing
wind
direction,
direction, or are oriented at right angles to the wind.
buildings
5,
10,
12,
and
14
on
Bikini
Island
to sloping roof
the
downwind
Cisterns connected to
receive
water
drained
from
windward-facing surfaces.
There are
downwind-facing surfaces on building 39
and
the
Island
the
southern
part
of
Eneu
oriented at a right angle to the wind.
1975
was
analyzed,
particulates
were
surfaces.>
The
the
rain,
next
suspected
water
Bikini
differently
these
thereby
The
school
roof
is
some
the
wind
subsequently
forms
and
wash
contaminated
deposited
into
the
on
roof
cisterns
facing the wind might accumulate more particulates
than
roof
Therefore
cisterns
surfaces
January
connected
was
39 had
and
to
collected
from building
but there was
in
concentration.
with
was
surfaces.
radionuclide
of
It
the water
radionuclides,
that
by
increasing
Island
oriented
periods,
would
hall.
After the cistern water collected in
suggested
suspended
particulates
oriented
from
was
being
that roofs
differently
it
mess
various
for
the
November
of
1977,
buildings
with
analysis.
During
both
lowest concentrations of
little difference between
water from buildings 10 or 12 and the school cistern.
the
concentrations
in
These results provided
some support for the resuspension argument.
We
facing
tested
roof
the
theory
surface
There was 38
(51
further by
m2)
of
1 of wash water
completely washing
building
10
with
55
1
intercepted before
it
reached
2-wk period had elapsed since the previous rain.
of
2394240),
processing.
in
and
17,110
fCi
down
of
90cy,
The
of
the
windward-
redistilled
the
water.
cistern.
A
The wash contained 1,890 fCi
13765
sample
was
lost
during
The ratio of sodium to chloride in the water was similar to that
seawater,
indicating
that
sea~salt
aerosols
are
among
the
resuspended
components on the roof surfaces.
Previous measurements at Bikini demonstrated that there was considerable
variation
consistent
was
in
the
ratios
everywhere
radionuclide
were
between
concentrations
found
10
to
between
20
times
in
different
the
ll
239+ 240
soil
over
the
radionuclides.
Pu concentration
island,
The
but
90
Sr
in surface