PRELIMINARY EXTERNAL-DOSE ESTIMATES
FOR FUTURE BIKINI ATOLL INHABITANTS
Abstract
With the objective of evaluating the potential radiation doses that may be received
by the returning Bikinians, a survey was conducted during June 1975 of the residual radioactivity in the terrestrial environment on Bikini and Eneu Islands of Bikini Atoll.
The
survey included measuring environmental gamma-ray exposure rates for use in evaluating
the external gamma doses, and collecting numerous soil, lens water, and vegetation samples
for use in assessing the internal doses via pertinent food chains.
This report describes
the gamma-ray exposure rate measurements and their use in conjunction with population
statistics and expected life styles for evaluating the potential external pamma-ray doses
associated with various options for housing locations on Bikini and Eneu Islands.
{The
evaluation of the internal dose contribution via food chains will be published in subsequent reports.)
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The results of the survey reveal that the external exposure rates on Bikini Island
are highly variable.
Values near the shores are generally of the order of 10-20 uR/hr,
while those within the interior average about 40 uR/hr with a range of roughly 30-100 pR/hr. ;
Eneu Island, however, is characterized by more or less uniformly distributed gamma radia-
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tion levels of less than 10 uR/hr over the entire island.
For the external dose determination a ‘set of most likely living patterns was chosen. .
These were based upon the various options for housing locations along the lagoon road and
within the interior portions of Bikini Island as well as along the lagoon side of Eneu
Isiand.
As expected,
living on Eneu Island results in the lowest doses:
the first year and 2.7 rem during 30 years.
0.12 rem during
The highest values, 0.28 rem during the first
year and 5.7 rem over 30 years, may potentially be received by inhabitants living within
the interior of Bikini Island.
Other options under consideration produce intermediate
values.
Introduction
DOF ARCHIVES
A radiological survey of Bikini and Eneu Islands of the Bikini Atoll was conducted
during June 1975 to assess the potential radiation doses that may be received by the
returning Bikinians.
the Pacific.
Bikini Atoll was one of the U.S. nuclear weapons testing sites in
It is situated in the northern part of Micronesia in the Central Pacific
Ocean about 3600 km southwest of Honolulu.
The atoll consists of a number of small
islands on an elliptical coral reef surrounding a lagoon with major and minor axes having
dimensions of 35 and 27 km, respectively.
The islands are shown in Fig. 1.
-l-
The total