A new six-year program was authorized in June 1968 to 

 study on an international scale the health and safety aspects 

 of the radioactive pollution of the sea. The Laboratory will 

 develop reference analytical methods and techniques for in- 

 vestigating the effects of radioactivity on marine biota. It 

 will also promote their adoption by national and international 

 institutions that are studying these effects and the behavior of 

 radionuclides in the marine environment in order to ensure 

 the comparability of the results obtained. The program is also 

 concerned with developing and recommending technical meas- 

 ures that should be taken in the event of accidental radio- 

 active contamination of the sea and will assist Member States 

 with regard to marine radioactivity problems. 



The United States 



Pollution Contingency Plan. Following the TORRE Y CAN- 

 YON accident, the President directed the Departments of Trans- 

 portation and Interior to prepare recommendations for a nation- 

 al program to deal with the hazards of oil spill from ocean- 

 going transportation. These recommendations concerning poli- 

 cies, procedures, and programs to prevent disasters from haz- 

 ardous cargoes and to mitigate the damage in case of accident 

 were submitted early in 1968. The Secretary of the Interior 

 then assumed primary responsibility for preparing a multi- 

 agency contingency plan for response to emergencies. 



The resulting National Multi-Agency Oil and Hazardous 

 Materials Pollution Contingency Plan was approved by the 

 President in the fall of 1968 and established a pattern for a co- 

 ordinated response among the Departments of the Interior, 

 Transportation, Defense, and Health, Education and Welfare, 

 and the Office of Emergency Planning. In addition to creating 

 a national reaction team, the Plan provides guidelines for the 

 establishment of regional contingency plans and reaction teams 

 and encourages the development of local government and pri- 

 vate capabilities to handle pollution incidents. It also incor- 

 porates procedures to utilize the prediction services of ESSA 

 on information related to tides, winds, river flow, and sea states 

 that can affect dispersion of oil and other pollutants. 



Research and Development. Several agencies have planned 

 extensive R&D programs in strengthening the capability to 

 detect, contain, and ameliorate spills of oil and other hazardous 

 cargoes. In FY 1970, the Federal Water Pollution Control Ad- 

 ministration (FWPCA) proposes a funding level of $1.7 mil- 

 lion and the Coast Guard proposes $2.6 million for these ac- 

 tivities. The Corps of Engineers will also participate in this 



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