364 OCEANOGRAPHY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Mr. Bonner. I am sure it was. 



Mr. Miller. We are happy to have you here, and may I say for 

 members of the committee that I have asked counsel to get out a letter 

 to all of the Governors of the Coastal States pointing out that par- 

 ticular problem and asking their cooperation, asking them if they 

 care to cooperate through their departments of natural resources and 

 fisheries. A few States have had cognizance of this and have been 

 quick to tell us. 



Mr. Bonner. When I first noticed this, I wrote a letter to Mr, 

 Leffler, Under Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife, ex- 

 pressing my concern about it. I have a reply from him and sometime 

 I would like to put my letter and his reply into your record. 



Mr, Miller. We will put that in the record at this point. 



(The two letters referred to follow :) 



June 23, 1959. 

 Hon. Ross L. Leffler, 

 Assistant Secretary of the Interioi', 

 Department of the Interior, 

 Washington, D.C. 



Dear Mr. Leffler: It has come to my attention that the Xational Academy of 

 Sciences and the National Researcli Council have susrgested the use of ocean 

 areas near Morehead City, N.C., for the disposal of low level radioactive waste. 

 In view of the present state of knowledge concerning the effectiveness of the 

 means of preventing contamination, I am greatly concerned about the possible 

 danger to the fisheries and, indirectly, to the people of my State. 



I would appreciate your furnishing me with information concerning the possi- 

 bility of any adverse effect upon either the fishery or the population by reason 

 either of improper containment of the wa.?tes prior to their tlisposition or pre- 

 mature destruction of the containers after disposition. In addition, please 

 inform me what, if any, steps your Service plans to take to make periodic in- 

 spections of the disposal areas after they are placed in use. 

 Sincerely, 



Herbert C. Bonner, Chairman. 



Department op the Interior, 



Office of the Secretary, 

 Washington, D.C, July 2, 1959. 

 Hon. Herbert C. Bonner, 

 House of Representatives, 

 Washington, D.C. 



Dear Mr. Bonner: The Bureau of Commercial Fisheries has prepared a gen- 

 eral statement on disposal of low level atomic waste materials in the sea. We 

 hope the enclosed copy of this statement will in part answer the questions in 

 your letter of .Tune 23, 1959. 



The program of waste disposal should not be harmful to fishermen or the gen- 

 eral public if it is properly carried out. Tests show tluit the wastes packaged in 

 steel drums filled with concrete are safe for handling. Rupture of the drums 

 is not likely, so the wastes will be contained for long periods before being released 

 to the sea environment. If, however, some of the drums should release their 

 contents i)rematurely, no harm would result. The radioactive materials under 

 consideration are low level in activity and the (piantities to be placed in each 

 area are to be limited. We believe the safety factors allowed in the study by 

 the National Academy of Sciences jtreclude return of the waste materials to 

 man either through seafood or by being washed in on beaches near the disposal 

 areas. 



The Atomic Energy Commission is arranging for site surveys and monitoring 

 ot disiMJsal areas. The Coast and Geodetic Survey is to provide ship time for 

 the surveys and will collect samples of the bottom and of bottom organisms for 

 study. The Public Health Service will analyze the samples for radioactivity. 

 The Woods Hole Oceanograpbic Institution will study circulation in relation to 

 predisjMisal and postdisposal monitoring. 



