tuila, Rarotonga, Wake Island, Kwajalein Atoll, Tongatabu and Viti Levu were operated by Task Force Project Groups or Weather Groups and on Nuku Hiva and Tahiti by French personnel. The purpose of the background stations was to document external radiation background and changes in background levels if they occurred. A USPHSrad-chem laboratory was established in Honolulu, Hawaii to support the off-site rad-safe program. Facilities, equipment and personnel were available for radiochemical analysis of air, precipitation, water, milk, food and soil. The facility remains in operation as a part of a continuing program of monitoring several of the Hawaiian Islands. Bioenvironmental Monitoring The bioenvironmental program for Operation Dominic was under AEC contract with the University of Washington, Seattle, Wash. A final report of their data is found in “Radionuclide Content of Foodstuffs Collected at Christmas Island and at Other Islands of the Central Pacific During Operation Dominic, 1962,” UWFL-87, by Ralph Palumbo. During the period April 7 to July 29, 1962, collections of food- stuffs, marine life included, were made from eight off-site islands and Christmas Island to ascertain the radionuclide content of the samples collected. In addition to samples collected by this group, USPHS off-site monitors furnished samples from areas not covered by the University of Washington en scientists. Approximately 8,000 samples were collected dur- ing the time which covered pre-testing, testing and post-testing periods. Part of these samples were scanned promptly for radioactive content, however, a majority of the samples were returned to the University of Washington for complete wd Mein analysis. 48