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Abstract

The results of radiometric and radiochemical analyses of samples, exclusive of land plants, collected at Bikini Atoll in 1969 and 1970 are
presented and discussed. Average values in pCi/g wet for radionuclides in

food items collected in 1969 were: reef fish, ®9Co-2.6, 29sr-.08, 137Cs-.13;
pelagic fish, ©%Co-.94; spiny lobster, 60¢o-.12; giant clams, ©?Co-24;
curlews, 60¢5-.94, 137¢s-380; turnstones, 60¢0-7.7,

137Ccs-56; terns,

69¢9-1.1, 137cs-.08. Average concentrations of 9%Sr in the muscle of coconut crabs from Bikini and Eneu Islands were 12 pCi/g wet and .05 pCi/g wet,
respectively. There are no striking differences between average values for
edible foods of marine origin, including the sea birds, compared with
values reported in 1967. Predominant radionuclides in undisturbed soils in
1969 are °°Fe, 80¢9, 657n, 20sy, 125sp ,

137cs and 297Bi. In the crater

sediments 25 Fe, 80¢o, 20sy, and 207Ri predominate. There are quantitative
and qualitative differences in radionuclide content associated with the
feeding habit of fish and there appears to be an increasing concentration

of some radionuclides with increasing age of fish and clams. The radionuclide content of bird species presents a sharp contrast, both qualitatively and quantitatively, associated with feeding habit. It appears that
some ©%Co and 297Bi is being transported eastward by the bottom current in

the lagoon. Silver-108m, previously unreported in fallout, was found in
the hepatopancreas of the spiny lobster. Tritium levels in groundwater are
within the range of values for continental surface water samples. The
present levels of radionuclides and their distribution at Bikini are not

likely to change significantly except for decrease in amounts, due to
physical decay.

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