4OOS32
.
.
‘Capt. Day tests
eT
«
wera
waa
taminated debris — that length of
time for the radioactivity to natural‘ly reduce itself by one-half — ranges:
from five years for cobalt 60 to: 24,000 years for plutonium. Theoretical- |
ty, the amount of plutonium on Runit
Last of three articles.
By BRUCE BENSON0°32
clilvertiser Science. Writer .-. -2--
t
White: moths danced;in. and out of
a truck
“)
RUNIT ISLAND, Enewetak —
the shrubs of scnevola as
-
adioactivit v of metal debris en rou
would have to go through.10 half-
lives, or 240,600- years, befora it is
jogeled down a rutted road in low
debased to an cnvironmental fovel
gear toward ground zero. It’s a-safe.:. safe for people toJive here. ve
place for a casual visit, said Capt.
Chuck Day, but everyone nervously
ee ee, ee ee, eee, ee
kept giaticing anyway toward his
eciger counter.
Runit was the site of several nue!
clear explosions ia the U.S. weapons-
After a cle nup operation now
under way, Himited access to tne isJand will be allowed for short pertods but it will remain quarantined to
prohibit permanent residents.
testing program of the cold war. One
To ense tension aboard the truck,
felt an overwhelming desire to sud- several bad jokes are told. Fhe
troops assigned ta clean up the
denly learn more about alpha, beta
and gamma rays as the truck
radioactive debris at Enewetak are
bounced taward two craters at the
ordering a special T-shirt, says
Northern end of the ttle island.
someone. It will have a (Crom -- with
The radioactive half-lives of contwo beads — and beneath. the
Nr
te
et ent ee eet
5002bb3
C. le Feenee =
ete
mutated cr ealure will be saying:
te
“Rumit."
“Hey, Chuck, we're-just radiant .—
with enthusiasm aboul this visit.’’
saysanomer.
.
Survey parties have camped and
worked on Runt before without any
everyprotective clothing, Sut today
s
one is fitted our
in rubber boots and,
two face masks made of paper. one. 4
ever the other.
.
Runit ts the “hottest’’ of the 40 isjands in the Enewetak atoll, partly becuuse of large amounts of twisted
metal debris and partly because two
explosions blew a sfood deal of plu-
toniuimacross its landscape.
One Hawaii scientist wha camped
at ine craters for a month was callcd to the Mainland reeeathy for oa
whnrte body count of radtenuchess.
See RUNIT an Page 3-3
.
2.0AL Ni /G 76-
ene See tee ee
eae
‘
WN MONOLULL ADVES Tinerede
Boe tpn
ce cee ene aA ee
veer(ine say, abe ol, Vine
eT SR en ee Spe ee ny ee oe pt ge Oe
aeein er eT ed EO te ee eee Pee ER an ee iol