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4. The Environmental Protection Agency is drafting new ocean dumping 
regulations which will allow ocean disposal of radioactive waste, which 
has not been permitted in the United States for over a decade. 
The State of California opposes all four of these attempts to utilize 
the ocean for radioactive waste disposal. Quantitative arguments can be 
devised to demonstrate the dilution capacity of the seas, and such analyses 
depict each disposal incident as inconsequential relative to background 
radiation. But from a qualitative standpoint, cumulative additions to the 
existing environmental burden of man-made radiation in the ocean cannot 
be justified. Radioactive wastes disposed in the sea cannot be contained 
over the duration of radioactive decay. Containerization of longlived 
radioisotopes is not technically and economically feasible in the deep 
ocean environment. The safety of ocean disposal of radioactive waste can- 
not be assured over time. 
In summary, I urge a ban on ocean disposal of radioactive wastes for 
the following reasons: 
1. Wastes are irretrievable once they have been placed in the ocean. 
What may appear to be acceptable today may prove unacceptable tomorrow. 
It is necessary to maintain the option of future remedial action because 
we do not have a full understanding of the ecological consequences of 
ocean disposal of radioactive materials. 
2. The bioaccumulation of radionuclides is poorly understood. 
Radioactive materials may pose serious health threats to future generations. 
3. There has been no clear demonstration of the need or advantages 
of ocean dumping of radioactive materials other than political or 
financial considerations. 
