34 MARINE SCIENCE 



locations, so far as we could tell, met our requirements of the environ- 

 ment and yet we didn't have detailed information about it. It was 

 suggested that these locations be examined in a detailed way to find 

 out whether or not they would be suitable to receive low-level packaged 

 wastes. It is these wastes, in very limited quantities, that the AEC 

 has licensed certain disposal companies to take from the shore and 

 drop into the oceans. 



The Chairman. And there will be more of them as we advance, even 

 in peaceful uses of nuclear energy. 



Mr. Carritt. That is right. 



We have been criticized — I think unjustly — ^because we have said 

 that in dumping a specific quantity of waste at a specific rate in these 

 specific locations, and based on the recommendations of the National 

 and International Committees on Radiological Protection, the return 

 of these wastes to man (primarily through marine food products) will 

 be well below that which will give anyw^here near the maximum per- 

 missible dose. 



As a matter of fact marine food products now actually have a lower 

 concentration of fallout elements than do many foods that are taken 

 from terrestrial sources. It appears that there is a rejection of some 

 of these elements by marine organisms. There is also a great dilution 

 because of the large volume of water in the ocean. 



Senator Thurmond. I presume it is your opinion then, your counsel 

 and advice, that we try not to dump anything in the ocean that we can 

 avoid in the way of atomic wastes ? 



Mr. Carritt. No, I don't believe I would say that. 



The Chairman. Unless we know. 



Mr. Carritt. Unless we know. We know right now we could, for 

 example, put a radioactive watch dial 



Senator Thurmond. A radioactive what ? 



Mr. Carritt. A radioactive watch dial in the ocean. 



The question is. How many can we put in the ocean without creating 

 a hazard to man in his other uses of the oceans ? 



The recommendations of the National Academy, I think, are sim- 

 ilar to the situation that I think aircraft designers are faced with. 

 They design an aircraft that, according to the drawing board, can 

 be flown at, say 1,000 miles an hour, but during the first testing pro- 

 gram of that aircraft the aircraft is flown at 200 or 300 miles an hour. 



According to our best knowledge at the moment we feel that we 

 are recommending a practice comparable to flying that airplane at 

 200 miles an hour when the design tells us it could very likely be 

 flown at a thousand miles an hour. 



The whole business hinges on the quantity of radioactive wastes 

 and the rate at which it gets back to man and into his normal food 

 channels. 



The Chairman. Tlien I suppose another important thing is to 

 designate a place to dump it, but you had better find out where it is 

 going after you dump it ? 



Mr. Carritt. That is right. 



The Chairman. It may go a lot of other places in the ocean be- 

 sides where you dump it. 



Mr. Carritt. That is right. 



To answer Senator Thurmond's question specifically, it is my feel- 

 ing that the capability of the ocean to receive radioactive wastes 



