Sampling Procedures
The majority of the sampling
Atolls.
was done on 3ikini,, Rongelap and Usirik
Data obtained from Wotho and Xwaialain provide baseline
in‘forna-
tion. concerning the radioactive contenc of soil, flora and Sauna fadigenous
to the Northern Marshall Islands.
The sampling orocedures ac Wotho, Kwajaleia, Rongelap and Utririk atolls
were essentially similar.
Sammles were obtained in the areas which were
inhabited by the Marshallese or in locations. which were actual or pocantial
food gathering resources,
Because the Bikinians were only beginning to return to their atoll, the
inicial monitoring of Bikini Island required a program with a wider scope,
Ac the cime
S8NL started its surveys of Bikini Atoll, two questions required
further elucidation.
The firse was in reference to the external dose shat one
would receive while living on Bikini Island.
The second question dealt with
the orediction of incernal dose commitments due to ingestion of food products
grown on the aroll.
Consequenely, the monitoring program was designed to thor-
oughly examine Bikiai Island and several other islands in the atoll.
Sampling
on Bixini Island was conducted in a grid pattern which corresponds to future
areas of habitation and food produceion.
Other islands in the atoll were exa-
mined in a similarlythorough way to verify initial assumpcions regarding the radiological concerns ac these locacions.
The Bikini Atoll section of che Marshall islands environmental monitoring
program provides the predominance bulk of data presented in this repors.
Various
islands within this atoll were sampled and surveyed in relative proportion so
the projected development according to the Bikini Atoll Master Plan
(1).