R. E. Hollingsworth
3
While it is not contemplated that a press announcement would be made for
this field trip, it is considered desirable to prepare a reply for
questions that may arise. Staff of BM, OS, and PI should prepare such
answers and copies should be provided Trust Territory staff when they
- are informed of the need for the field trip.
,
Subsequent Information:
Since the meeting of Headquarters personnel, a brief report was obtained
from Dr. Robert Conard who spent several hours on Bikini during his recent
trip to Rongelap.
Dr. Conard stated that the Bikini workers in the Atoll
are collecting nonferromagnetic metals (copper, brass, aluminum), which
are very valuable, with the intent of sale as scrap metal. These materials
are being stacked in piles for later transport out of the Atoll.
The
question has been raised whether these collections of metal scrap should
be monitored for radiation and whether the material should be checked by
AEC before it is sold.
The draft SWRHL report entitled "Report of the Radiological Cleanup of
Bikini Atoll" states that "All scrap metal oY concrete with contact
readings greater than 100 micro-R per hour (mR/hr) was treated as radio-
active waste and buried at sea."
Even so, one cannot guarantee that
scrap will not be found buried underground or underwater showing levels
this high or higher.
It has been suggested that on the next field trip
to Bikini, provisions be made to monitor the collected scrap.
Guidance on contamination and radiation levels developed by AEC staff for
"Sale, Abandonment, or Destruction of Personal Property" could be used
for approval of sale of scrap. Trust Territory officials should be informed that scrap metals must be monitored before sale to insure that an
item is not found containing radioactivity above acceptable levels.
If
this approach is acceptable, provisions could be made for monitoring
scrap collected over each one year interval in order to allow Bikinians
to benefit from sale of this property in a timely manner.
The High Commissioner of the Trust Territory has recently asked whether
their earlier question regarding use of the Peter-Oboe-Tare complex in
the agricultural rehabilitation program can now be answered. AEC had
given an interim reply on July 2, 1969, that if the radiation and radioactivity levels in this area were comparable with those on Eneu and
Bikini, it would be in order to review the judgement of the 1967 Ad Hoe
Committee. This question will likely be raised when Trust Territory
officials are informed of the team visit. A statement on this question
should be developed for use in that meeting if by that time a formal
answer has not been given.