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AGRICULTURAL HANDBOOK 395. U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



nated soil or vegetation. This means that more 

 effort may be required tlian in normal operations 

 with the same types of machinery. 



Exposure of Workers 



It is doubtful whether the treatment of agri- 

 cultural land would be so urgent as to justify 

 exposing workers to possibly disabling amounts 

 of radiation. Disabling illnesses are not likely 

 to occur if radiation doses to humans are lim- 

 ited to less than 100 rems (9, p. 591). Different 



ways may be used to limit radiation doses, de- 

 pending on whether intense local contamination 

 or widespread fallout are present. 



In cases of localized contamination, it should 

 be possible to limit exposures by evacuating resi- 

 dents and using teams of workers to remove the 

 contamination. Each team might work only a 

 short time in areas of high radiation intensity. 

 Specially shielded or radio-controlled equip- 

 ment could be brought to the contaminated area 

 to reduce further the exposure of workers. Con- 

 centrated effort would be needed to remove con- 



Table 2. — A comparison of methods for removing soil surface contamination in waitn weather 



Condition of 

 surface 



Implement 



Removal of 

 radioactivit.v ' 



Effort required — 



For For 



removal " disposal ' 



Effect on 



soil 



productivity ' 



Bluegrass sod Sod cutter 12" wide Good to fair Poor Fair Good to fair. 



Fescue-clover meadow Vacuumized sweeper Poor Poor Good Good. 



Fescue meadow Rotating-broom sweeper Fair Fair Good Good. 



Fescue-clover meadow Motor grader Fair Poor Poor Good to fair. 



Fescue-clover 12" high Motor grader Good to fair Poor Poor Good to fair. 



So.vbean stubble Motor grader Fair Poor Poor Good to fair. 



So.vbean stubble I'oiistant-draft .scraper Fair Poor Poor Good to fair. 



Wheat stubble Vacuumized sweeper Poor Poor Good Good. 



Corn stubble Motor grader Poor Poor Poor Good to fair. 



Plowed Motor grader Fair Poor Poor Good to fair. 



Plowed Bulldozer Good Poor Poor Good to fair. 



Plowed Self-loading scraper, leu. yd Fair to good Poor Fair Good to fair. 



Plowed Pan-type scraper, S cu. yd. Good Poor Fair Fair. 



Disked Motor grader Fair to poor Poor Poor Good to fair. 



Disked Rotary scraper Fair to good Poor Fair Good to fair. 



Disked Elevating scraper Fair Poor Fair Good to fair. 



Seedbed Motor grader Good to fair Poor Poor Good to fair. 



Seedbed Bulldozer Good to fair Poor Poor Good to fair. 



Seedbed Self-loading scraper Fair Poor Fair Good to fair. 



Seedbed Pan-type .scraper Good Poor Fair Fair. 



'Rating of removal of radioactivity: Good — > 9.5 percent removal. 



Fair — 75-95 percent removal. 

 Poor — <; 75 percent removal. 



° Rating of removal effort : Good — > 5 acres per hour. 



Fair — 1 to 5 acres per hour. 

 Poor — < 1 acre per hour. 

 ' Rating of disposal effort : Good— additional loading and hauling effort minimal. 



Fair — considerable effort in loading and hauling. 

 Poor — very great loading and hauling effort. 

 * Rating of effect on soil productivity : Good — Increases or does not change productivity. 



Fair — ^Reduces productivity <; 20 percent. 

 Poor — Reduces productivity > 20 percent. 



