314

RADIOLOGICAL CLEANUP OF ENEWETAK ATOLL

Soil Cleanup Planning

The Director, DNA requested that DOE examinethe possibilitv of not
cleaning Boken and Lujor to 160 pCi/g and identifying patterns of living
that could be adopted for those islands other than quarantine. DOE
representatives agreed to have this done.
Dr. W. P. Wood, of EPA’s Radiation Programs and its representative at
the conference, pointed out that DOE/DOD acceptance of the 40-80-160
pCi/g criteria should not imply EPA approval and that, once the plan for
soil removal was established, EPA would desire to examine that plan. The
Director, DNA stated that he understood that there was no EPA biessing,
but he also pointed out that Enewetak really did not come underthe draft
EPA guidelines.
The Director, DNA decided to accept thecriteria recommended by the
Bair Committee and DOE as the standards for contaminated soil cleanup.
This acceptance was contingent upon the Bair Committee and DOE
developing more precisely the status of islands (e.g., Boken or Lujor)
which might end up being cleaned to below 400 pCi/g, but not down to the
160 pCi/g criteria recommended by the Bair Committee for food-gathering

the people there were «
coconuts than DOE had
strontium and cesium in!
McCraw was concerned 1
assessment for those indi
Dr. Wood noted that,
individual dose as well as
individual in a populatic
about whethera factor of
be accepted unlessit was
few individuals or 90 p

The criterion for subsurface contamination was not discussed at the
conference. That criterion, OPLAN Condition D, was the most stringent

lifestyle). Mr. McCraw &

assessment data did not

In response to a DOE
should be based only or
Field Command’s healti
stringent EPA draft guide
Bair Committee recomrm
decisions be based on s.

islands, 104

and difficult to achieve. Subsurface concentrations of transuranics were

not to exceed 160 pCi/g averaged over one-sixteenth hectare on anyisland
to be used by the dri-Enewetak.

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The issue of possible residence on one or moreof the northernislands
was raised during the discussion on soil cleanup criteria because the new
criteria were based on a dose assessment model which assumed soil
contamination Jevels that would occur only in the northern islands. The
dose assessment indicated that living on islands having surface transuranic
levels which averaged 40 pCi/g, growing crops on tslands which averaged
80 pCi/g, and visiting islands which averaged 160 pCi/g could result in a
dose of about 13 millirads for transuranics alone, over four times the
proposed new EPA guideline of 3 millirads per year for the U.S. Doses
from strontium and cesium in the drinking water, coconuts, and other
local food were not considered since it was assumed that no one would be
permitted to live on Enjebi until after those elements decayed to
acceptable levels.
By this time, everyone was aware of the Bikini cleanup and resettlement
problems. Mr. McCraw, of DOE, stated that Bikini was typical of what
could happen in the Marshall Islands. Bikini had ‘suffered a drought and

fe ne

NORTHERN ISLAND RESIDENCE DECISION

pattern led to a dose to
proposed EPA guideline
Bramlitt showed that t!
dosages over 6 mrad/ye:
soil cleanup decisions we
gathering islands, the (
cleanup—couid be in jec
products, strontium and
could preclude utilizatio:
Case 3 lifestyle. As a res
Dr. Bramlitt to conduct
affecting Case 3; evalua
made; and, serve as anir
of the study are discusse
Mr. Mitchell, the p
complexity andadditiona
dri-Enewetak would requ
simple people could use
the islands without exce:
the final dose assessme
should include several pc
There were several pr
and cesium levels were t
and would remain so fi

Select target paragraph3