For this zone, the weighted mean ppc value for the wastes from 

 the spent ion exchange resins of the NAUTILUS is computed to be 6 x 10'^ 

 ^.c/nnl. The above table then indicates that the gross activity per dis- 

 charge for such wastes should not exceed about 14 curies, at the rate of 

 30 discharges per month spread over the entire continental shelf of the 

 eastern United States. This 14 curies is approximately equal to the ob- 

 served gross activity on the spent ion exchange resins of the NAUTILUS. 



For non -fishing areas of the outer continental shelf (Zone 3b), the 

 ppc value for the wastes from the spent ion exchange resins on the 

 NAUTILUS is 3 x 10"^ M-c/ml. Thus the gross activity per discharge for 

 such wastes introduced into this environment should not exceed about 7 

 curies per discharge, for a maximum of 30 such discharges per month 

 randomly distributed over the outer continental shelf off the east coast 

 of the United States. This is approxinnately equivalent to one discharge 

 per month in any 100 mile wide slice of this shelf. 



The continental shelf region selected for the sample calculation 

 may not be the most restrictive segment of the continental shelf of the 

 world ocean, from the standpoint of radioactive waste disposal. There- 

 fore the recommendations which follow are somewhat more conservative 

 than would be drawn from a strict application of the numerical results. 



Recommendations for the outer continental shelf, from 12 miles 

 offshore to the 200 fathom depth contour (Zones 3a and 3b), follow. 



Recommendation 6 : No discharge of spent ion exchange resins from 

 nuclear -powered ships should be made into known fishing areas of the 

 outer continental shelf, from 12 miles offshore to the 200 fathom con- 

 tour line. Except under very exceptional circumstances there should 

 be no discharge of packaged solid wastes from nuclear -powered ships 

 into these waters, and any such exceptional discharge should conform 

 to recommendations contained in the National Academy of Sciences' re- 

 port "Radioactive Waste Disposal in the Atlantic and Gulf Coast" (NAS- 

 NRC Pub. 655, 1959). 



Recommendation 7 : If denser than sea water, spent ion exchange resins 

 from nuclear -powered ships may be discharged into non -fishing areas 

 of the outer continental shelf, from 12 miles offshore to the 200 fathom 

 contour, provided that the activity in any single discharge shall not ex- 

 ceed 50 curies, and also provided that such discharges be restricted to 

 ships which could not, without appreciable loss in efficiency, limit such 

 discharges to waters of the op>en sea having depths exceeding 200 fathoms. 

 Thus ships inbound from an ocean passage should schedule discharges, 



xvi 



