11. 



III. BACKGROUND 



The problems associated with the disposal of radioactive wastes 

 are not only continuing, they are increasing in both magnitude and 

 complexity. The use of the oceans as a disposal area has always been 

 attractive, probably because for most purposes the oceans appear 

 "limitless", and therefore offer a reservoir of "infinite" storage or 

 dilution capacity. All except the very surface of the oceans is consideret 

 (by the uninformed) to be useless so far as human activities are con- 

 cerned. 



Obviously, the main concern in the radioactive waste disposal 

 problem is to prevent the wastes from entering man's environment at 

 levels that will be hazardous. Two basic concepts have developed for 

 achieving this end, and as a result radioactive wastes are divided into 

 two categories. Radioactive wastes maybe contained, as is now done 

 in the case of "high level" wastes, or they may be dispersed, as is 

 frequently done in the case of "low level" wastes. The present study 

 is concerned with low level wastes and, so far as present practices are 

 concerned, with a combination of containinent in, and dispersion by, 

 shallow, inshore areas of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United 

 States. 



The first recognition of the problems associated with ocean dis- 

 posal of radioactive wastes appears to have been a study that produced 



