Fe em Pe ReRY Ne ee em 7 ua... ° Scaeeveeaon atvat Cire) om wee. rtcep ee rs PREFACE The atomic energy weapons-testing program, initiated with the detonation of Trinity shot in New Mexico in 1945 and continued subsequently at Bikini, Eniwetok, and Nevada, has resulted in contamination of the test sites with varying amounts of radioactive materials. Some of these radioactive materials are absorbed or adsorbed by animal and plant life. To gain an understanding of the nature of such contamination, field otudies in the test areas are essential. In the tests conducted at Bikini and Eniwetok, the conditions are nearly ideal for a study of the contamination of an aquatic environment. The Applied Fisheries Laboratory has been interested in the problems presented by disposal of radioactive wastes into water since the United States atomic energy program was initiated. Field studies have been conducted by the Laboratory at Bikini and Eniwetok since the inception of the test programs at these two atolis. The data from these studies are recorded in a number of reports prepared for the Atomic Energy Commission. A list of the reports is given in Appendix A. |