RADIOLOGICAL SL~VEY PUN FOR THE NORTHER22NJJUXALL IS-LANDS FUDIOLOGICAL SURVEY PIAN FOR THE NORTHERN MARSHALL ISLANDS PART TITLE TAB I PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES 1 II HISTORICAL INFORMATION 2 III SCOPE OF SURVEY 3 A. THE 13 ATOLLS B. ORGANIZATION c. TERRESTRIAL PROGRAM D. MARINE PROGMM E. AERIAL PHOTO AiYDRADIOLOGICAL SURVEY F. SURVEY SCHEDULE A!NDSERIES MAPS IV MILESTONE CHART 4 v AGENCY ASSIGhNENTS 5 DRAFT ME?!OwND~~ OF AGRE~:ENT BETWEEN DEPTS OF THE NAVi, ENERGY, AND INTERIOR VI PUBLIC INFORWTION 6 VII FUNDING 7 . APPENDIX 1 8 FALLOUT FROM PACIFIC TESTS FALLOUT PATTERN-BRAvO EVENT 1954 TAB 1 PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES ‘———r m -1— - R/lDrO!.OCIC,f.L SL’R[’EYPUN FOR THE t:ol{i}[ip:::;,RSIL:LLISIJC{DS PURPOSE THE PURPOSE OF THE NORTHERS YX?SHALL ISLASDS SUR?EY PROGWXI 1: TO PROI’IDE A DOCWIEXTAT1OS OF THE R~21:;I:~GRADIOACiII’IH FROX NUCLEAR T] TING ASD TO PROVIDE SLTPORT DATA FOR .x: ASSESWEST OF I%E MDI.ITION DO: TO PEOPLE BEFORE THE TEFC’:IXATIOSOF THE LTITE2 XATIOXS TRUST AGR1 ?IEXT. OBJECTIVES THE OBJECTItTS OF THE PRC)GFW:ARE: 1. TO OBTAIN AERIAL ?.~DIOLOGIC.i L }L!?S OF il!EXORTHEN: :.’NRSHAI ATOLLS, AND ISW(DS , A study has identified 11 atolls and 2 islands as those most likely to have received fallout from o or more nuclear tests conduc~ea at Bikini and Ene during the L.S. Pacific testing program. 2. TO SA~lPLEND ?IE.4SURETHE lUDIOACTIVI~ IS SOIL, WATER, PL :T LIFE AND FOOD, ADJACEST YLARIXEh’ATIRS,AXD MARIXE MD TEFLRESTRL . L.IF-L, AND , 3. TO PREPARE A REPORT WHICH WILL PRESENT THE FIXDINGS OF THE AND AN ASSESS?lENTOF THE IL4DUTION DOSES TO THE PEO?LE WHO LIVING ON THE SURVEYED ATOLLS AND ISLANDS. TAB 2 4 HISTORICAL INFORMATION 1 -- HISTOIUGAL BACKGROUND PART II The U.S. nuclear weapons testing programconducted from 1946 958 in the Pacific left long-term radiological contamination and th problems. Bikini and Enewetak Atolls, where the testing was ucted, were the most severely affected, but fallout from these test: touched many islands in the Northern Marshalls. Of special concern 1 he heavy fallout from the March 1954 test which caused radiological ix to many of the people of Rongelap and resulted in at least one death radiation related diseass. The Department of the Interior (DOI), Department of Defense ~ , and the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), later the Energy Research an(~ evelopmemt Administration (ERDA), and now the Department of Energy (DOE:), cooperated in the steps taken to date to perform radiological surv=ys atId assessments (1967-1968) and to perform cleanup and rehabilitation of Bik:~n (1969 to- present) and in the radiological survey and assessment of En[SW ak Atoll” (1972-74). This Enewetak survey utilized the most up-to-date~ d modern- techniques, including the aerial survey of islands utilizing se sitive radiation monitoring equipment carried in helicopters. The E)OD began the Enewetak cleanup in FY 1977, with the DOI rehabilitation prog:ra initiated \ during cleanup to take advantage of logistics and communication capabilities attendant to cleanup operations. The DOE has performed follow radiological1 surveys at Bikini and Enewetak Atolls. It also conducts medic ~bservation of the exposed populations of Rongelap and Utirik Atolls at fr znt internals. The Department of the Interior (DOI), Office of Trust Territor f the Pacific Islands (TTPI), is responsible for rehabilitation of t fcmner test sites,Bikini and Enewetak. Phase I of the Bikini progra xcIuded planting of coconut trees and building 40 homes and other comm ~y buildings on Bikini Island. The houses were built along the lagoon shor lere the radiation levels were the lowest. In responding to a request n TTPI for r-’---’l -2- assistance in locating the second group of ‘houses on Bikini I and, the ERDA recommended that an aerial survey of the type flown at E wetak be conducted for the entire Bikini Atoll. This survey would pro de detailed data including contours of the total external gamma radiation isotopic content and plutonium in the soil surface. Neither the ERDA r the DOI had the integrated logistical support system needed for an ae al survey and DOD was requested to supply this. Since DOD would reques reimburse- ment for its support and there was insufficient time to obtai the necessary funding, ERDA conducted a limited ground survey of external r iation levels on Bikini and Eneu Islands in June 1975. The results of this urvey showed that the radiation of the interior of Bikini Island was too h h for further housing settlements and that future settlements on nearby Enel Island would minimize radiation exposures. Currently, the Bikini resettle] nt project is under review. A lawsuit, THE PEOPLE OF BIKINI, ET AL VS. SEAI NS, ETAL, CIVIL NO. 75-348 U.S.D.C. , D. Hawaii, alleges that the U.S. G ernment has not assessed properly the radiological conditions at Bikini a among other things, requests the court to order an aerial survey for Biki: comparable to that conducted at Enewetak. During negotiations with the : partment of Justice, the plaintiffs’ legal counsel recognized that the su eys and evaluation of radiological conditions at Bikini Atoll were no as cor.pre- hensive as more recent work at Enewetak Atoll, and sought an , rial radiolo- gical survey of Bikini and the other northern Marshall Island The merits of the aerial survey have been thoroughly discusse at staff levels between DOI, DOD, and DOE both before and after the in iation of the lawsuit. Briefings on the survey were provided to the Adl nistrator of ERDA, the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health and Envirl ment) , Lhe Department of the Interior, Office of Trust Territories, staf members of OtlB,and the Chairman of the CEQ. -3- ? After obtaining cost estimates for logistics support from the I and the technical program from ERDA, the Office of Management and 1 get (OMB) determined that the sutnreywould be conducted, and funds r reimbursement of DOD’s Logistics support were included in a DOI Y 78 supplement. DOE was directed to absorb the technical program c ts. Although the U.I?.Trust Territory Agreement with the U.S. is e> cted to end soon, it is clear that the U.S. will continue to have a ta1 national interest in the northern Marshalls. Resettlement of E ini Island has suffered a setback due to radiation exposures signii antly exceeding acceptable standards, and the cond~tional nature undc which Enewetak is being resettled, and the need to continue followin~ he health of the Rongelapese, will require radiological monitoring f these people and their environment for the foreseeable future. The c ial . survey will be a major part of a standardized data base which t 1 provide information rieededfor evaluating any future claims for damage injury. It will contribute to the future monitoring program planned fo] ikini, Enewetak, and Rongelap atolls. In addition to Enewetak, Bikini, and Rongelap Atolls, there ar~ leven other atolls or single islands that received intermediate range fallc from one or more of the megaton range tests. A number of these atolls = presently inhabited while others are used for food collection. During nl ear test operations, there was a limited monitoring program that did not rovide anywhere near the coverage that can be obtained with the currer aerial survey technology and instrumentation. In addition, there is 1 tle or no data on possible plutonium contamination outside of Bikini z Enewetak Atolls. The proposed aerial survey uses the same equipment and procedu] which were successfully employed at Enewetak Atoll in 1972-1973. As cumented —. -. -4- in the lawsuit, the people of Bikini feel they have been shor changed because the U.S. conducted a highly visible, exhaustive radio ~gical survey of Enewetak. The Bikini portion of the aerial survey, :oupled with the previous and planned ground surveys, will go a long ~y toward making the Bikini data base comparable to that of Enewetak. If the aerial survey of the northern Marshalls, including Bik ii, is not conducted, the U.S. Government would undoubtedly be precluded !rom settling the Bikini lawsuit out of court. While there is the expectation of a successful defense of this suit, there is considerable p :ential for adverse publicity deriving therefrom. The U.S. could also be :harged with not taking all prudent steps to assure that there were no ind ridual sources of radiological contamination on islands relea~ed frc U.S. custody. --- - - TAB 3 SCOPE OF SURVEY . l@idi ULUu. -fi~ J... .-. .- ...! . u.. 4 ..- N02Tt!EFU:}’ARSIIALLIS-AYDS SCOPE OF SURVEY PROGRAM The Radiological Survey program of the Northern Marshall 1s1 [dsk-ill cover the following atolls and islands within the time frame f .July 1978 through December 1978. No. of Islands 7 Atolls To Be Surveyed ~ al Area (ni.-) 1. Ailinginae 13 .93 2. Ai luk 12 1.72 3. Bikar 3 . 19 4. Bikini 15 3.00 5. Likiep 13 6. Rongelap 16 .52 7. Rongerik 8 .81 6. Taka 3 . 18 9. L’jelang 9 .60 10. L’tirik 3 1.27 - 11. Wotho , ~ 1.38 12. Jcmo Island’: 1 Unknown :“: 13. }lcjitIsland 1 Unknown i’Theterm “Island” is used in this case to denote an isolate island that is not part of an atoll and does noc have a lagoon. k1 z I 1 The Northern Marshall Islands Radiological Survey progr= ~r~ Uizational relationships are show on the chart below. ~; /= =’ 1 DEPARmj —; , ~ ~ LOGISTICAL ~ TECHNICI ! TRUST TERRITORY ~ ~ SIJPPORT ~ RESPONSIBILITIES / j PROGRAM I I i -1- —1 —i I DIVISION OF t I OPERATIO AL I AND i ENVIRONM SAFETY (( I i i : PROGRAM ( IIDANCE -/ FEDER4L ~ ;EXCY COORDINA: 1 :ON -- I — ___ -.