In

any

groundwater

case,
are

at

all

below

atolls

the

90 Sr

the

concentration

137 Cs

and

guidelines

concentrations

for

drinking

in

water

recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The

maximum

calculated

for the

the atolls.

and

annual

dose

and

the

30-

and

50-y

integral

doses

are

intake of both cistern water and groundwater for each of

Doses from the

Enieatok

rates

Islands

are

ingestion of cistern water at

less

than 0.1%

(0.001)

guidelines and the 30-y guideline; doses at

of

Bikini,

the

Rongelap,

individual

annual

the other atolls are about 0.01%

of the guidelines.
Even

if

situation)

the

total

annual

consumption were

groundwater

(an unrealistic

the estimated doses at Rongelap and Utirik are about 0.3% of

the

guidelines and less than 0.1% for the other atolls.
We

conclude

preferred

that

the

cistern water,

water

sources

contribute

at

a very

the

small

atolls,

especially

fraction of

the

the

estimated

total doses from all exposure pathways.

INTRODUCTION

A radiological

survey was conducted

from September

through

November

of

1978 to assess the concentrations of persistent man-made radionuclides in the
terrestrial and marine environments of 11 atolls and 2 islands of the Northern
Marshall

Islands.

Rongelap,
Mejit,
specific

Utirik,

Wotho,

The

atolls

Taka,

Bikar,

Ujelang,

islands

of

and

and

Bikini

islands

Rongerik,
Bikini.

Atoll

are

shown

Ailinginae,

Concentrations

have

been

well

in

Fig.

1

Likiep,
of

and

include

Jemo,

Ailuk,

radionuclides

documented./~4

on

However,

little radiological information is available for the remainder of the atoll or
for

other atolis

that were

considered most

from nuclear tests conducted at

likely

to have received

fallout

the Pacific Proving Grounds between 1946 and

1958.
The survey consisted,

in part,

of an aerial radiological reconnaissance

to map the external gamma-ray exposure rates over the islands of each atoll.
Shore parties
the
the

collected appropriate terrestrial and marine samples

radiological dose
atolls,

or

who

from pertinent
may

in

the

food chains

future

reside

to assess

to individuals residing on
on

some

of

the

uninhabited atolls, or who may now collect food from these atolls.

presently

Select target paragraph3