17. 



IV. THE PRESENT PROBLEM 



The National Academy of Sciences has been requested by the 

 Atomic Energy Comnnission to examine the feasibility of establishing 

 disposal locations in the inshore regions of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts 

 of the United States, up to twenty-five miles from the shore, into 

 which low level radioactive wastes may be deposited by authorized 

 civilian waste disposal companies. 



The scope of the problem as seen by the Atomic Energy Com- 

 mission and some background information are given in Appendix I and 

 Appendix II of this report. Several pertinent points can be noted here: 



1) Limited amounts of low level radioactive wastes have been 

 deposited in shallow waters (50 fathoms), approximately 12 to 15 

 miles from shore, for the past several years. This has been done 

 under authorization from the Atomic Energy Commission. They con- 

 sider that no hazard is produced at the present level of disposal, but 

 as the rate of disposal becomes larger their concern increases because 

 of (a) public relations aspects, (b) increasing possibility of contaminat- 

 ing shellfish and filter feeders, and (c) physical obstructions of fishing 

 and trawling areas by the containers holding the wastes. A popular and 

 somewhat misleading account of the operations of one of the disposal 

 companies appeared in the Saturday Evening Post on January Z5, 1958, 

 under the title, "Gangway for the Atomic Garbage Manl " 



