WASH. 1289
UC-at
LEVELS OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY IN BIKINI ATOLL
Toway F. McCraw
‘U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
Washington, D.C.
Introduction
,
Bikini Atoll is located in the Western Pacific about 12° North of the
Equator. Geographically the atoll consists of an oval shaped lagoon surrounded
by a fringing reef with major and minor dimensions of 35 kilometers long and
21 kilometers wide.
The total land area of the islands along the reef {s
5.96 Km*. The three largest islands, Bikini, Eneu, and Nam contain about
3.1 Km,
a
ge
*,
Po,
*
The Bikini people lived in their atoll for many generations in relative
.
ieolation from the rest of the world.
In the recent past they have been under
German, then Japanese, and now United States jurisdiction, At present, che
Marshall Islands of which Bikini Atoll is a part are within the Trust Territory
of the Pacific which is administered by the United States for the United Na-
tions.
on
\
,
Barly in 1946 it was determined that Bikini Atoll was a suitable site for
nuclear weapons teats. The Bikini population, numbering 166, agreed to leave
the atoll. After inspecting a number of possible resettlement areas and after
living some time on Rongerik Atoll and Kwajalein Island, the Bikini people were
relocated to Kili Island where they still live today. The Bikinians were pro-
.
mised the return of their atoll when it was no longer needed as a testing site.
‘
Since their relocation, the Bikini population has increased in aize. There
is a continuing strong desire on the part of a significant fraction of the
group to return to their home atoll. With its scarcity, these island dwellers
have a great love for the land and have an extreme reluctance to give up or
sell land,
Except for the sea, there are few other natural resources available
‘
in the atoll environment.
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The Bikini Test Site
7 .
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Following resettlement of the population, preparation of the atoll for
upcoming tests was begun. These field operations and test activities occurred
periodically from 1946 through 1958.
During this time, areas of the islands
were cleared for camp sites and there waa construction of housing, docks,
towers and instrument bunkers. An aircraft runway and parking ramp were built
on Eneu and another. runway was constructed on a string of islands connected
by man-made causeways along the southern rim of the reef.