342 OCEANOGRAPHY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Dr. Leeberman. Specifically where they should go, maximum con- 

 tent of radioactivity they can possess at any one time, things of 

 that sort. 



Mr. Miller. Who determines the type of container ? 



Dr. LiEBERMAN. The Atomic Energy Commission. 



Mr. Miller. I have a report before me from the California De- 

 partment of Fish and Game that is very disturbing. I do not know 

 whether you have ever seen this report. It was made from the vessel 

 N. B. Sco-field — Doctor, you are familiar with the Scofleld—^\\\y 21 

 and 22 of last year. They duplicated the type of container and put 

 instruments on "it. These were supposed to go into a thousand fathoms 

 of water. 



I will summarize it, although I will put the matter in the record. 

 When they got down to 400 fathoms they blew the heads out of these 

 containers and it would have released any waste in them. T\^ien we 

 talk about dumping these things in containers into the ocean, I am 

 concerned that the containers are sufficiently well designed so as to 

 withstand the pressures we will subject them to. 



There are parts of this report that speak of putting them into a 

 thousand fathoms of water. What good will it do to put them in a 

 thousand fathoms of water in old 50-gallon drums that are surplus 

 to other parts of the Government because they are cheap and we 

 cover them with some concrete but we lower them into this water and 

 when they get to a certain depth they disintegrate. 



I realize these are ver;^ low level wastes, the type of wastes that 

 perhaps you could bury in the baclcyard. I think they have short 

 half lives. I understand they are aprons and gloves and tools and 

 things that are used generally around the atomic installations. But I 

 am also concerned about the fact that we put them in containers, we 

 put concrete around the containers to sink them, and then take them 

 out and when we throw them overboard we have not considered 

 very much what is going to happen to them after they get beneath the 

 surface of the sea. 



Do you loiow whether any followup has been taken to make sure 

 we have containers that are proper ? 



Dr. LiEBERMAN. I think it is generally recognized that the types of 

 containers used are designed so tliat the ^Neight of the container and 

 content will be sufficient that it will sink and will withstand the rigors 

 of transportation and will afford adequate protection to personnel 

 during the handling from the point of origin to where they are going 

 to be disposed of. They are not designed as true pressure vessels. 



As they sink it is certainly conceivable, and I think quite likely, 

 that they will not maintain their complete integrity. As they sink 

 the pressure on the outside is greater than the pressure on the inside, 

 so leakage would tend to be into the container rather than out of it. 



There is another factor involved which I mentioned earlier, the 

 disi)ersive or dilfusion and transport capabilities of the environment. 

 In connection with both our l^icidc and Atlantic disposal operations — 

 I think this was about 18 months ago but I do not remember the exact 

 date — we took a look at both disposal areas to see what we could lind 

 in the way of radioactivity at disposal sites. On the Pacific through 

 the Scri])))S Institution of Oceanography and on the Atlantic through 

 Woods Hole, the Chesapeake Bay liistitute, and the Coast and 

 Geodetic Survey. 



