eeeae iacneieell Malini es Sige wlltiiaes Co meee ‘ 7 ~ ime age CONSIDERATION OF PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVE FOR RADIOACTIVE SCRAP REMOVAL AT BIKINI ATOLL The contaminated scrap metal on Bikini Atoll has been observed on islands adjacent to test locations. These adjacent islands which lie along the northern and southern rim of the Atoll islands have been subjected to heavy fission product fallout as well as blast, thermal, and prompt radiation along with water waves. The scrap metal on these islands consist of a wide range of sizes. Not all metal pieces in a given area are radioactive. Though two items may be similar in appearance and located side by side, one may show indication of radioactivity while the other does not, Pieces of pipe may show significant levels of radiation on one end and none on the other. Some of the scrap is on the surface, some protrudes from concrete footings, and some is near the ground surface just out of sight. The latter can be found using radiation detectors and scraping the soil to uncover the object. Results from the 1967 survey indicate that a mgjor contributor to the radiation field in these scrap metal areas is Co. This radionuclide is not a fission product, but rather is induced radioactivity in items of iron and steel which have been subjected to neutron irradiation. or) was found both in the scrap metal and in the soil samples by the 1967 survey. js 2 t~ is unlikely that removal of the coritaminated scrap metal from the islands adjacent to tests will make a significant reduction in the external radiation fields observed there. For the present, the resettle- ment program is to be limited to the Bikini-Eneu complex, and no use is to be made of the near test islands except possibly short visits to ecllect food items such as birds, turtles, and their eggs. Removal of : contaminated scrap that would otherwise be available can avoid some unnecessary exposure. The effectiveness of this precaution can ke further strengthened by periodic surveys of village areas and work areas t Tnerefore, the purpose and objective of the radioactive scrap removal . ‘ i i : ‘ to ensure that no contaminated scrap is collected on Bikini and Eneu. effort are to make this contaminated material unavailable to the population of the Atoll and thereby to prevent radioactive source buildup through scrap collection activities on Bikini and Eneu. The following recommendations are made to achieve the above-stated objective: l. There should be radiation monitoring capability to support clearing operations on Bikini and Eneu for determining whether test-related objects that are turned up contain elevated levels of radioactivity. This would include a survey of the area on Eneu (wher it is cleared) cnat was used as an aircraft decontamination location. -.l1 - Attachment 6