Comments and Recommendations by the Marshall Islands Advisory Group

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buried material and burial i n the sea orin the Cactus Crater seem t o be logical. fully represent the situation, or where itis unclear how the conditions areto be applied,the Advisory Group believ,es that si tu ation - specific judgments should be exercised by the DOE technical staff at Enewetak i n conjunction with the JTG. Where the O PLAN conditions are inadequate t o 3. En jeb i Experimental Garden Plot During the course o f several meetings the Group has had the opportunity to refer to data that might be obtained from the garden plot on Enjebi. the group briefly visited the plot. that the garden has considerable potential for providing information on the relationships between radionucljdes in soil and edible crops. Such informztion i s of paramount importance i n making informed recommendat<ons about the future use of the northern islands of Enewetak Atoll and the return of the Nar shall ese to these islands. During its visit to the atoll in August The Group h a s the impression Based on our limited information concerning the garden plot and on our visit to it, we are particularly concerned that the garden will not be able to provide the information needed ina timely The group strongly recommends that the role of the garden plot as apart of an overall integrated plan for making radiological assessments be carefully evaluated. i t should be clearly defined and adequately supported to carry out its mission. This should include consideration of an alternate location in the event logistics problems are insurmountable after the JTG effort is completed. I f the plot has a key role, A review o f preliminary data from the plowing experiment suggests that plowing decreased the potential for resuspension of plutonium since the plutonium in the surface soils appeared t o be nearly uniformly mixed with all of tne plowed soil. Thus, plowing probably would reduce the amount o f plutonium that could be from inhaled plutonium, the possibility remains that plow in to plant roots. requires comparative datd on the levels of 90Sr and 137Cs, L39Pu and 241Am i n plowed and unplowed soil and on the uptake of these radionuclides in plants grown i n the plowed and unplowed soil. Dose assessments for the two conditions could then be obtained and used i n determining the benefits of plowing with respect to rehabilitation of the Northern Islands. However, while plowing might reduce the health risk To comment further on plowing, the Advisory Group