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Abstract 



During the 1976 Atlantic 2800m radioactive waste dumpsite survey, an 

 80-gallon low-level radioactive waste container was recovered. Within the two 

 hour interval between the time the container first emerged from the ocean 

 until it was encapsulated, the exterior condition of the drum, including the 

 appearance of corrosion product films and attached biological growths, was 

 extensively documented photographically. In this report, representative 

 photographs, as well as the results of limited chemical and biological 

 analyses performed by University of Delaware personnel during the above two 

 hour interval, are presented. These results are discussed in light of 

 previously published deep ocean corrosion data, and recommendations on 

 improving shipboard sampling and analytical procedures are given. 



