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UNITED STATES

ATOMIC’ ENERGY COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C.

20545

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December 23, 1974

Warren D. Johnson
Lieutenant General, USAF
Director
Defense Nuclear Agency
Washington, D. C. 20305
Dear General Johnson:

Please refer to my letter of December 9, 1974, transmitting AEC

comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Clean Up,

Rehabilitation, Resettlement of Enewetak Atoll - Marshall Islands.

It is requested that our comments be revised to include the follow-

ing additional information:

_

During the last 8 years the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA),
formerly the European Nuclear Energy Agency (ENEA), has
Managed an ocean disposal program for radioactive wastes
from the member countries. The following, by years, is
a listing of the curies (Ci) of alpha activity in the

materials so disposed.

be Pu 239.
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1974
1973
1972
1971

-

416
773
674
324

The alpha activity is assumed to

1970
1969
1968
1967

- 233
- 390
- 721
- 92

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Total

3633 Ci - aipha

Other operations from 1949 to 19677 such as U.S. and U.K.,

disposed of wastes containing similar quantities of long-

would not materially add to the alpha activity already

disposed in the deep ocean.

cc: H&N,Mr. Woolfenden) - 1/8/75
We:sina

Thus, a total of at least

If

we assume 15 grams of Pu per Ci alpha activity, the total
is at least 100 kilograms of Pu. Thus, it is evident the
disposal of a few hundred grams of Pu from Enewetak Atoll

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lived alpha active materials.

7,000 alpha Ci have been disposed of into the ocean.

AFRRI, Mr. Slaback)

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