The kidney of the Tridacna had the greatest amounts of ®°Co of the marine sam-
+)
ples analyzed.
SUMMARY
The DOE's portion of LRE's Pacific Radioecology Program began on 1 July
1974.
The purpose of this program is to determine the types and amounts of
radionuclides in biological and environmental samples from the Central Pacific,
especially the Marshall Islands.
in September-October 1976.
A field trip was conducted for this program
About 340 samples were collected and about 340
y-spectrum, 130 strontium-90 and 75 plutonium-239,240 analyses were performed.
Results of the analyses indicate that 99Sr and 13’Cs are predominant in
the terrestrial environment and, in addition, 2*!Am and 239°249Py are also
important in the soil from Rongelap Atoll.
Potassium-40 ts the predominant
radionuclide in the marine organisms, while ©°Co is important in the kidney
of the Tridacna clams.
‘y
Amounts of radioactivity between atolls and and between islands within
Rongelap Atoll vary with distance from the test site at Bikini Atoll and in
relation to the fallout pattern from the March 1954 Bravo test.
Plants from
Bikini Island had the highest amounts of radioactivity, primarily 137Cs, while
Plants from Naen Island at Rongelap Atoll had slightly lower amounts.
The
southern islands of Rongelap Atoll and Utirik Atoll had intermediate amounts
of radioactivity, while Ailuk and Wotje Atolls had the lowest amounts of radioactivity of the atolls visited during this field trip.
REFERENCES CITED
Nelson, V. A. 1977.
Radiological survey of plants, animals, and soil at
Christmas Island and Seven Atolls in the Marshal? Islands.
Report NVO-269-32.
U.S. ERDA
College of Fisheries, University of Washington,
Seattle.
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