RONGELAP REASSESSMENT This reassessment visit to Rongelap. is prompted by information obtained during a February 1986 Considerable quantities of “Yap variety” coconuts are being grown on Rongelap even though the majority of the coconuts on the island appear to be of the “old variety.” Why is this a concern? 1. The reasons are the following: The external gamma exposure and the soil concentration of 137CS is higher by about a factor of 2 at Rongelap than at Eneu. Decay corrected to 1987 Soil 137Cs Concentration External Gamma pCi/g r/h 0.5cm O-40cm 12 4.1 Rongelap 4.5 Eneu 2.3 5.9 2.9 ratio 2 2.0 1.4 2. The 137CS concentration “ in coconut meat and fluid, however, 15 pCi/g wet weight at Eneu and about 5.5 pCi/gwet The ratio of the 137CS concentration is about weight at Rongelap. in coconut on Rongelap to that on Eneu is thus about 0.4. 3. This difference was assumed to be due to the two different varieties of coconuts on the island; i.e., “Old Variety” on Rongelap and “Yap Variety” on Eneu. Age of the trees and 137CS distribution soil column could not be discounted, 4. however. . This result has been confirmed by evaluating both varieties that are near neighbors at Eneu and Bikini Islands. effect of age cannot be discounted in the of trees However, the in this observed difference. 19 .