RE: Clean-up of Rongelap Island

["Snider, Timothy J" <snider@BATTELLE.ORG>]

Does anyone have information on the contractor for the clean up.

I was part of the Enewetak clean up in the late 70's and would like more
information as to what technology they will be using.

Tim Snider
Snider@Battelle.org
AKA  TJTOAD953@AOL.COM

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Andrew McEwan [SMTP:Andrew@nrl.moh.govt.nz]
> Sent:	Sunday, January 18, 1998 4:43 PM
> To:	Multiple recipients of list
> Subject:	Clean-up of Rongelap Island
> 
> 
> 
> Sandy Perle posted a news item on the proposal to clean-up Rongelap
> Island 
> of Rongelap Atoll in the Marshall Islands -
> 
> "A massive cleanup operation has been
> given the go-ahead on a tiny Pacific island rendered uninhabitable by
> US nuclear testing after Washington provided funding of 8.3 million
> dollars.
>    Inhabitants of Rongelap island in the Marshalls chain fled ...."
> 
> The doses from residual fallout radioactivity on this "uninhabitable"
> island 
> are less than 0.4 mSv per year (mean adult dose).  Studies of soil and
> plant 
> concentrations on Rongelap Atoll indicate that for a "traditional" 
> imported-foods-restricted diet, mean adult doses could marginally
> exceed 1 
> mSv/y, most of the dose arising from Cs-137 in plants.  For current
> actual 
> diets with rice and other staples replacing coconut to a considerable 
> extent, doses are considerably lower (less than 0.4 mSv/y).
> Application of 
> potassium fertiliser would reduce annual doses below  0.2 mSv.
> 
> Natural radiation doses to residents are 2-3 mSv/y most of the dose
> arising 
> from Po-210 in fish.
> 
> _________________________
> Andrew C McEwan PhD
> National Radiation Laboratory
> PO Box 25-099
> Christchurch, New Zealand
> 
> Ph 64 3 366 5059
> Fax 64 3 366 1156
> acmcewan@nrl.moh.govt.nz
> ________________________
>