4, Indicator species - where subsistence crops are unavailable, indicator plants such es Scavevola and Messerschmicia will be collected. 5. Fauna-coconut crabs, birds, bird eggs, and rats will be collected if available. These ere not as high priority as the soils and vegetations, but should be collected when readily available. 6. Domestic animals and fowl (e.g., pigs and chickens)- on some of the atolls domestic animals and fowl may be available. If so, they should be obtained to evaluate the radionuclide uptake in animals that are grazing and integrating large areas of the island and to help evaluate the radionuclide intake of the people via the diet. Sample processing will be performed at LLL. Gamma spectroscopy and wet chemistry analysis will be performed at LLL and on special subcontract to other laboratories. Marine Program A variety of the marine organisms commonly consumed at the atolls will be collected to estimate dose from consumption of marine food products. A number of lagoon water samples and near shore sediments will also be collected to compute and compare concentration factors of the different radionuclides detected in the marine organisms and to assess the radionuclide levels in the abiotic components of the lagoon environment. As a minimum at least two representative reef species and invertebrates, commonly consumed, will be collected from several locations at each atoll. The fish will be disected into muscle, bone, and internal organs. skin, gut contents, gills These tissues will be pooled for analysis, while the tissues of the pelagic species, providing that large enough samples are available, will be separately analyzed. Since the dietary habits of the Marshallese may be different on the various atolls, this processing procedure will allow us to reconstruct the radionuclide concentra- tions in any assembly of tissues and organs commonly consumed. LII-12 ques 5005555 AlLl