In 1954 a study was made by the sub-committee on Waste Disposal 
and Decontamination of the National Committee on Radiation Protection, 
of the problems connected with the disposal of radioactive materials in 
the ocean. This study was published as Handbook 58 of the National 
Bureau of Standards (4). Although Handbook 58 does not make specific 
recommendations with regard to disposal site locations, rates of dis- 
posal, etc., it does recommend that all radioactive wastes that are to 
be disposed of into the sea be packaged and that disposal be into water 
at least 1000 fathoms deep. These two recommendations form the basis 
for present AEC sea disposal regulations. In addition, Handbook 58 
enumerates the physical, chemical, and biological factors thought to be 
important in regulating the dispersal of a contaminant throughout the 
oceans. However, because of lack of quantitative information. no at- 
tempt was made to combine the various factors to obtain an estimate of 
the level of contamination of the ocean and marine food products asso- 
ciated with stated disposal practices. 
In 1956 the National Academy of Sciences - National Research 
Council organized six committees to study various aspects of the bio- 
logical effects of atomic radiation. The report of one of these Commit- 
tees, the Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation on Oceanography 
and Fisheries, was published in 1957 as Publication 551 of the National 
Academy of Sciences - National Research Council (5). 
Publication 551 gives a detailed account of the state of knowledge 
of the physical, chemical, biological and geological factors involved in 
the interaction of radioactive wastes, especially fission product elements, 
with the marine environment. While much of this study is concerned with 
the deep oceans, and the massive quantities of materials that will be 
produced as a result of nuclear power production, it is, nevertheless, a 
useful guide in the attempted solution of all problems concerned with 
radioactive wastes and the marine environment. 
Following the 1956 meetings of the Committee on the Effects of 
Atomic Radiation on Oceanography and Fisheries, but before Publication 
551 was completed, a meeting of several scientists from the United 
States and the United Kingdom was held, at which there was a liberal 
exchange of information concerning the problems of the disposal of ra- 
dioactive wastes in the oceans. At that meeting it was learned that the 
British Atomic Energy Authority plant at Windscale, on the Irish Sea, 
was discharging low level liquid wastes through a three mile long pipe- 
line, directly into the Irish Sea, with authorization to discharge at the 
rate of 1000 curies per month. The basis for the authorization was the 
results of a series of studies giving: (1) the detailed circulation of the 
Irish Sea area immediately seaward from the Windscale plant; (2) the 
uptake of activity by migratory fish that pass through the area; (3) the 
contamination of an edible seaweed that is harvested in an adjoining 
area, estimated from the circulation study and uptake experiments; and 
(4) the level of contamination of local beaches, estimated from the cir- 
culation study. 
