alpha contamination was noted on any of the containers (glass jars and sealed metal cans), The
other "sample" of interest was the one cubie foot wooden box suspected of containing the leaking 10

mCi 137s ealibration sourcein its lead pig. Its exterior reading was 30 .R/hr.
Estimates of Bunker Activity

Two independent estimates were made of the 2414m content in the 400 plus bags. The FRST data

compiled during soil collection was grouped according to activity level (i.e., sum of count rates for

the soil removed and bagged per location). Those data are summarized below indicating that 90% of
the bags contain less than 100,000 epm, while only about 1% contain activity levels greater than
500,000 cpm. Based on these data, an assumed PG-2 calibration factor, and 2700 grams of soil per

bag, the total 241 Am activity was estimated to be 2.5 mCi.
Gross Activity Level

Percent of Bags

Thousands of cpm
less than 50
50 to 100
100 to 200
200 to 300
300 to 400
400 to 500
greater than 500

82.0
8.1
5.8
1.3
0.8
0.7
1.3

The second method involved the collection in petri dishes of seven soil samples taken at random
from the pile of bags on 17 May 1979. These latter samples were taken from the available loose
sand/soil from torn bags and that which had accumulated over the past year on the surface of other
bags, probably as a result of personnel movements within the bunker either at the time of putting
the bags in storage or during subsequent investigations. In addition to these seven samples, the
entire area was surveyed with a PG-2 at which time three bags and a single concrete chunk were
isolated from the rest of the pile. Based on field measurements, these three bags were assigned an
activity level 100 times greater than the average found from the petri dish samples.
Specific gross gamma measurements (PG-2) were made on each of the petri samples, the concrete

ehunk (which was also photographed), and the two “baby food jars". These data are summarized in
Table B-14-1 along with calibration data done back at the Eberline trailer on Enewetak.

These data (300 to 5000 pCi/g, 241Am) compare favorably with the IMP pre and post lift values

for the Fig/Quince area. The IMP TRU values ranged from 75 to 4100 pCi/g pre lift and 59 to 7000
pCi/g post lift.
To estimate the total TRU within the bunker, the following assumptions were made:
1.

Soil volume in bunkeris 4.5 ft. x 9.5 ft. x 1 ft.

(43 ft3 or 1.2 x 106 em3)
2.

Bulk soil density is 1.5 g/em3

3.

Three "hot" bags at 1000 g/bag

4.

Average 2414m concentration in bags (excluding 3 above) is average of 7 petri samples (2300

pLl/g
5.

Pu/Am ratio is 10

B-14-2

Select target paragraph3