72 BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF ATOMIC RADIATION 



of the radioactive materials produced by these plants will inevitably find their way, either by 

 design or accident, into the sea. The same result will come from the development of nuclear- 

 powered merchant ships and naval vessels, particularly of submarines, which have very little 

 excess capacity to store radioactive waste liquids. 



We have here what is in some respects a typical example of the conflicting use of marine 

 resources. This Committee is convinced that the conflict could be largely resolved by an ade- 

 quate program of research and education. More information is certainly needed on the up- 

 take, accumulation, retention, and transfer of radioactive materials by marine organisms in 

 the food chains leading to man, and on the effects of atomic radiation on the ecology of 

 oceanic plants and animals. The information presently available on these matters and that to 

 be obtained through research should be more widely disseminated, both to allay the fears of 

 biologists and the public, and to emphasize to the engineers the need for great care in dis- 

 posing of radioactive materials in the marine environment. 



II. Conclusions and Recommendations 



General Policy 



Limited quantities of artificial radioactive materials can safely be introduced into the 

 ocean for scientific and engineering purposes if the tests are planned with the environment in 

 mind. Disposal of limited quantities of low-level waste can be carried out under proper safe- 

 guards of supervision and monitoring. 



It is too soon to decide whether any high-level wastes can or should be disposed of at 

 sea. Additional research on sea and land disposal should answer this question. With the 

 development of the atomic power industry, very large quantities of high-level wastes will be 

 produced in coming decades, and it may prove both safe and economically desirable for some 

 of these materials to be finally disposed of in the ocean. 



There must be suflScient monitoring of disposal sites to ensure public health and safety, 

 and to protect marine resources. Such monitoring should not be performed solely by the regu- 

 lating agency. Records of the quantity and type of radioactive wastes and the areas in which 

 they are disposed of should be maintained in a national center. These records should be avail- 

 able to interested groups, and periodic summaries should be issued. The records should be 

 disseminated abroad through the International Atomic Energy Agency in order to spur 

 international understanding and agreements. 



Availability of Information 



An increasing concern about the introduction of radioactive wastes into the sea is ap- 

 parent at all levels, from local communities to international organizations. This is a natural 

 consequence of the expanded use of nuclear energy and the consequent increase in the 

 amounts of waste materials to be disposed of. Fortunately, new information on the character- 

 istics of the ocean, and experience gained from the release of radioactive materials, is pro- 

 viding a background for the formulation of acceptable policies for radioactive materials in the 

 marine environment. The problems involved are complex and can be solved only through the 

 joint efforts of all agencies: local, national, and international. The future will bring new 

 and unanticipated problems, and differing interpretations of incomplete information may lead 

 to controversy. Joint efforts to meet present problems and to resolve possible future differ- 



