[38] https://www.veterans.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/NAAV%20Stmt%20FTR%2006.29.2016.pdf, pg 3. Copies of these historical volumes can also be found at numerous federal, state and local agencies throughout the United States, including many public and academic libraries. 1. "The world needs to know. ATOLL, Defense Nuclear Agency (Factbook, Washington, DC, 1979 https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3381115/186-79-May-25-Says-80-100-of-Rad-Badges-Were.pdf): 10. [7] The original estimate for the cleanup was $40 million, but Congress only allocated $20 million and stipulated that all reasonable economies should be realized in the accomplishment of this project through the use of military services construction and support forces, their subsistence, equipment, material, supplies, and transportation.[8] As a result, approximately 6,000 servicemen from the Navy, Army, and Air Force participated[9] in what would become the first comprehensive project to clean up and rehabilitate a former nucleartest site.[10] The Navy was responsible for operating ships and creating waterways to less accessible islands; the Air Force was tasked with communication, air supply operations, and health facility operations; and the Army Corps of Engineers handled the actual cleanup of the islands. In September 1976, while the formal planning of the difficult decontamination and cleanup work progressed, the formal turnover ceremony took place when the atoll was turned over from the Department of Defense (DoD) to the TTPI administration. Published February 19, 2018. https://www.pri.org/stories/2018-02-19/seawater-infiltrating-nuclear-waste-dump-remote-pacific-atoll. As the fighting of the Pacific War shifted northward towards the Japanese home islands through the rest of 1944 and early 1945, Enewetak became more of a Navy backwater anchorage providing support to the fleet now steaming many hundreds of miles to the north. Lots of fabrications still be pushed by the government. [38], Lastly, a biodosimetry program, which included taking blood and urine samples, was implemented to monitor exposure to radiation. [58] H.R.3870 Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act, 2015. https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/3870. Published November 27, 2018. https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2015/11/27/a-ground-zero-forgotten/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.c9833c6251ba. The only time they would wear the suits and respirators was during special occasions.[26], Tim Snider, an army veteran, recalled in an interview with the New York Times that upon arriving, he was ordered by Army officials to put on a respirator and a protective suit. Approximately 68% of the 12,248 dosimeters were also issued, 99.97% of the readings were less than 0.042 rem. ), (2) removing all soil that exceeded 14.8 Bq (400 pCi) of plutonium per gram of soil, (3) removing or amending soil between 1.48 and 14.8 Bq (40 and 400 pCi) of plutonium per gram of soil, determined on a case-by-case basis depending on ultimate land-use, and 4) disposing and stabilizing all this accumulated radioactive waste into a crater on Runit Island and capping it with a concrete dome. Typically over 900 men worked on the decontamination project at one time, mostly service personnel with some contractors and civil service employees. But many were exposed to contaminated food and dust, leaving them with severe and lasting health issues. Once that soil was contaminated, the animals that lived on the islands, the birds, the rats, the coconut crabs, all the whatever wildlife was there they consumed all that," Brownell said. If you are concerned about possible health issues related to participating in the cleanup effort at Enewetak Atoll, talk to your health care provider. Published April 22, 1979. https://www.nytimes.com/1979/04/22/archives/grim-legacy-of-nuclear-testing-nuclear.html?searchResultPosition=11. The following are first-hand accounts told by comparatively few survivors of the Enewetak Atoll Atomic Debris Cleanup Mission, Marshall Islands; a mission that took place from 1977-1980. The samplers themselves had filters that were taken out every two hours and sent to laboratories for analysis. By the 1970s, under threat of legal action by island natives, the U.S. launched a haphazard and dangerous plan to clean it up. Call: 988 (Press 1), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs | 810 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington DC 20420. So much untold truth here. [32] Fact Sheet Enewetak Operation, 10. Veterans of the 1977-1980 Enewetak Atoll Atomic Cleanup Mission are looking for. For personnel who stayed on Enewetak Atoll for a longer period of time, a urine sample was taken at the end of their tour. Bikini Atoll was deemed too radioactive to clean and rehabilitate at that time. We're all in this together to create a welcoming environment. . [45] Rem and milliSieverts (mSv) are both units of radiation dosage. Brownell said exposure to radioactive material could come from "any place on those islands," whether it was eating contaminated seafood, or just walking around in the dirt and breathing in contaminated dust. [5], The main focus for cleanup was Enewetak, where 43 of the 67 nuclear tests were conducted. Global Security Directorate | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Learn about the Department of Energys Vulnerability Disclosure Program, Marshall Islands Science Foundation Program. "The government said, 'Oh, don't worry about it be careful swimming because there's sharks out there. A listing of fact sheets produced by the NTPR office about the program and nuclear test series. visit VeteransCrisisLine.net for more resources. These cleanup efforts involved a concrete dome that was built on Runit Island, one of 40 islands that make up Enewetak Atoll, which was used to deposit soil and debris contaminated by radiation. There were five feasible approaches considered by the Defense Nuclear Agency (NDA, 1981) for cleanup of Enewetak Atoll. [6] The cleanup of Enewetak Atoll began in 1977 and ended in 1980. Baenen recalled that he and other servicemen: were supposed to be in yellow suits, and they said so, but it was 132-degree daytime temperatures and guys were falling over. Published December 13, 2018. https://www.kalb.com/content/news/Forgotten-Hero-Local-veteran-says-hes-left-out-after-serving-on-atomic-cleanup-tour-502744621.html. 40 years later, a medal., [31] Willacy, It was supposed to be a trip to paradise, instead it sealed their fate.. "There was no running water you couldn't actually wash up. Make sure everyone feels safe. The Nevada Operations Office of the Department of Energy was responsible for certification of radiological conditions of each island upon completion of the project. Office of Accountability & Whistleblower Protection, Training - Exposure - Experience (TEE) Tournament, Military Exposure Related Health Concerns, War Related Illness & Injury Study Center, Clinical Trainees (Academic Affiliations), Call TTY if you We are but a few of the Survivors of the 1977-1980 Enewetak Atoll Atomic Debris Cleanup Mission in the Marshall Islands. Although difficult to determine from the records, evidently the Johnson Administrations effort to return the Bikini islanders to their home in the late 1960s inspired a similar effort to repatriate the Enewetak residents who had been away from their native land for more than twenty years. All documents are in Adobe PDF format. During the late 1970s, as the United States was returning control of Enewetak to the Marshallese, the U.S. government initiated a cleanup of the atoll to remove the most lethal and irradiated . However, he, like thousands of others, are excluded from the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, which only covers veterans present for atmospheric nuclear tests. This cooperative effort was formalized in a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Enewetak/Ujelang Local Atoll Government in August of 2000 (MOU, 2000). For many atomic veterans, the fight for benefits continues. Enid News & Eagle. For example, most of the fallout affected the northern part of the islands, where the tests primarily took place. "We're still fighting. Our main focus is to help each other with information and moral support during challenging times of our declining health. However, if plutonium is inhaled or ingested, then it can lead to health complications, such as cancer, tumors, and infertility. However, the operation continued without air monitoring. Some have even claimed that their children suffered from birth defects as a result of their time in Enewetak Atoll. Also, as nuclear weapons technology advanced, new weapon designs were developed, and testing of those designs became necessary. The Veterans participating in cleanup wore protective clothing and radiation dose measuring devices when needed, and had regular radiation checks. All the islands of Enewetak Atoll, except Runit Island, had transuranic contamination in the top layers of the soil. U.S. Air Force plutonium cleanup mission near Palomares, Spain (1966). [22] Paul Srubas, John Baenen was exposed to massive radiation at a nuclear bomb test site. These survivors, who are now in their late 50s and 60s, have cancer and are fighting for their lives. [14], All the debris and soil were moved to Runit Island, which was declared too contaminated with plutonium to ever be made habitable. Between 1948 and 1958, the AEC, supported by the Armed Services, conducted six series of nuclear and thermonuclear weapons tests on the northern and northeastern islands of the atoll. Bullying of any kind isn't allowed, and degrading comments about things like race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, gender or identity will not be tolerated. They pitched their tents on contaminated ground and used local water to wash their clothes. Coming from a farming community in New York, Brownell said he had no knowledge of radioactive materials before getting sent to the Marshall Islands. portalId: 20973928, [9] Radiological cleanup at Enewetak Atoll, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Let's treat everyone with respect. The meeting concluded with the AEC taking responsibility for conducting a radiological survey of the islands, the DoD conducting the cleanup operations, and Interior rehabilitating the land and resettling the people of Bikini and Enewetak. In fact, he said, The first thing they were supposed to do when we got on the main island was give us a safety briefing. The classic coral atoll of Enewetak and its small population had seen much change during the 20th century as compared to the relatively quiet nine previous centuries since humans first came to the atolls islands. As for resettlement, the surveys determined that the three larger islands in the southeastern corner of the atoll, Enewetak, Medren, and Japtan, would be most suitable for resettlement. Published 8 years ago by Girard Frank Bolton, III. The Germans were the first industrial culture to claim possession of the islands which became part of the Marshalls island group in the 1880s, only to be superseded by the Japanese after that nations brief conflict with the Germans in the Pacific early in World War I. the US carried out a $200 million nuclear cleanup and rehabilitation program. Copies of these historical volumes can also be found at numerous federal, state and local agencies throughout the United States, including many public and academic libraries. Jeff Fortin, an Air Force veteran, remembered being told that there was minimal danger, and that there was a low level, but it wouldnt be anything that would affect [the servicemen] as individuals.[61], Ken Kasik, who worked as a civilian in the military exchange commission on Lojwa Island, summarizes this sense of abandonment: Our boys worked six-month tours on a dirty island, and the government says, You were never there. We were never acknowledgedwe dont exist.[62]. The island itself would remain off limits to the islanders indefinitely. According to protocol, there needed to be at least one air sampler during the earth-moving operation. Bikinis Silver Lining. The New York Times. as well as other partner offers and accept our. A total of 11 nuclear tests were also conducted on Enewetak in 1956 as part of Operation Redwing including an air burst from a balloon located overwater. Radiological cleanup of Enewetak Atoll (1977- 1980). WILFORD, JOHN NOBLE. Like Brownell, Grahlfs who was sent to the Marshal Islands in 1946 wrote in his December 2021 op-ed that he has suffered from health complications, including cancer, believed to be a result of his service. Members of this group are sometimes referred to as atomic veterans or atomic vets. According to several reports conducted by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), servicemen received proper briefings on the potential risks associated with working on the cleanup of and living on Enewetak Atoll. [6], The cleanup of Enewetak Atoll began in 1977 and ended in 1980. Additional training that covered risks and safety procedures was provided to servicemen who were directly engaged with cleanup. [60], Much like the atomic veterans who witnessed nuclear tests, the atomic veterans who cleaned up Enewetak Atoll feel ignored and betrayed. Nuclear tests like Castle Bravo produced a substantial amount of nuclear fallout that negatively affected the people of the Marshall Islands, according to the Brookings Institution think tank. Radiation at the test site was cleaned up from May 1977 - May 1980. The Dover resident was barely out of his teens when he, along . Our main focus is to help each other with information and moral support during challenging times of our declining health. Today, all the atoll islands and the lagoon are accessible except for Runit Island, which remains quarantined. BANISHED BIKINIANS SUE U.S. FOR NUCLEAR CLEANUP. The New York Times. Enewetak Atoll continued to be used for defense programs until the start of a cleanup and rehabilitation program in 1977. Enewetak quickly became a favored test site, beginning with Operation Sandstone in April and May of 1948. Since suburanic elements are soluble and move more easily through the environment, they were dispersed deep within the earth. Of the 4,000 veterans who risked their lives on the radiological cleanup of Enewetak Atoll, only about ten percent are alive today. [32] However, at least in one instance on the island of Engebi in 1978, the air samplers broke. [20] Leidos, Inc., Radiation Dose Assessment for Military Personnel of the Enewetak Atoll Cleanup Project (19771980), DTRA (Report, Washington, DC, 2018, https://www.dtra.mil/Portals/61/Documents/NTPR/6-Enewetak/DTRA-TR-17-003_ECUP%20RDA%20(Final%204-13-2018).pdf?ver=2018-04-23-141745-250): 29-30. U.S. Atmospheric Nuclear Test History Reports, U.S. BIKINI ISLANDERS SEEK U.N. HELP TO GO HOME. The New York Times. [1] Testing in the Pacific stopped due to a trilateral moratorium on testing among the United States, Soviet Union, and the UK. THE ENEWETAK ATOLL CLEANUP RADIATION STUDY ACT Statement of David A. Butler, Ph.D. Scholar | Director, Office of Military and Veterans Health National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine before the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Committee on Veterans' Affairs U.S. House of Representatives May 1, 2019 so many lies to the brass make all this story a fairy tale, it makes good reading for people who know absolutely nothing about radiation or fallout, exposure Correlation factors Over all correlation factors, doses faulty film badges. Participated in the occupation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan between Aug. 6, 1945, and July 1, 1946. Being in the presence of plutonium does not necessarily cause harm to a living organism, since it undergoes alpha decay. 8725 John J. Kingman Rd., Fort Belvoir, Va. 22060-6221. As a result of these discussions, it was determined that the atoll population would require 116 homes: 76 on Enewetak Island; 32 on Medren; and 8 on Japtan. Only months after initially arriving were he and others told that the seafood could be contaminated. A master plan was developed to serve as a guide for the rehabilitation and resettlement of the atoll. [62] Chad Blair, Nuclear Victims: Will We Help Vets Who Cleaned Up After Atomic Blasts? Civilian Beat, published January 6, 2016. https://www.civilbeat.org/2016/01/nuclear-victims-will-we-help-vets-who-cleaned-up-after-atomic-blasts/. target: "#hbspt-form-1682944984000-2041509548", Copyright 2022 by the Atomic Heritage Foundation. Now you've got it into the fish life. The 10.4 megaton yield obliterated the island, replacing it with a crater in the coral reef nearly 2 kilometers in diameter and 150 meters deep. By clicking on the publication numbers listed below, you can access electronic versions of the documents available as Adobe PDF files. In a 2018 report by DoD, it was concluded that veterans who took part in the ECUP The debris mostly consisted of military equipment and concrete left over from the nuclear tests. According . However, his applications were denied, because [h]is medical records from the military all said he had not been exposed to radiation. We were there for 180 straight days! Mora, Kyla P. Veterans share frustrations at hearing on Agent Orange, radiation resolutions. Pacific Daily News. A total of 43 separate detonations took place over that decade, scattering tons of irradiated material and fission/fusion products on the islands and waters surrounding the atoll. American service members were later deployed to the Pacific so they could tackle the cleanup efforts. Known as Operation Crossroads, this test operation set the pattern for future nuclear weapons tests. [44] Leidos, Inc., Radiation Dose Assessment for Military Personnel of the Enewetak Atoll Cleanup Project (19771980), 123. The folder contained a number of fact sheets from the DNA and DOE. GRIM LEGACY OF NUCLEAR TESTING. The New York Times. From 1948 to 1958, the U.S. conducted 43 nuclear tests on the Enewetak Proving Ground at Enewetak Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. "So all this the radioactive material goes into the ocean, gets into the coral. The Enewetak Atoll Radiological Cleanup Project was an attempt to make the islands of Enewetak Atoll safe for re-inhabitation. TAYLOR JR., STUART. [25] Philipps, Troops Who Cleaned Up Radioactive Islands Cant Get Medical Care., [26] Willacy, It was supposed to be a trip to paradise, instead it sealed their fate., [27] Philipps, Troops Who Cleaned Up Radioactive Islands Cant Get Medical Care., [29] Srubas, John Baenen was exposed to massive radiation at a nuclear bomb test site. "On our end of it, most of our guys are dead because of the cancers and all the ailments that come along with the radioactive materials that we ingested," Brownell said, adding that he had nothing in the way of protective gear. This matrix then surrounded the debris. [46] Dominik Fleischmann, Radiation Dose and Radiation Risk (Presentation, Stanford University, Stanford, 2018, https://med.stanford.edu/content/dam/sm/cvimaging/documents/lectures/18DEC13_Fleischmann_RadiationDoseRisk_final_HANDOUT.pdf). BRIEF OF AMICUS CURIAE FRIENDS OF THE EARTH IN SUPPORT OF APPELLANT, VICTOR B. SKAAR. Attorneys for Friends of the Earth. Today, residents have very little or no intake of residual radionuclides, with annual radiation doses below U.S. averages. DTRA provides cross-cutting solutions to enable the Department of Defense, the United States Government, and international partners to deter strategic attack against the United States and its allies; prevent, reduce, and counter WMD and emerging threats; and prevail against WMD-armed adversaries in crisis and conflict. [39] David Phillips, a correspondent with The New York Times, stated in his article Troops Who Cleaned Up Radioactive Islands Cant Get Medical Care that he requested the records for the biodosimetry program through the Freedom of Information Act. [4] Islanders Returning to Nuclear Test Atoll After an Exile of 33 Years, The New York Times, published April 6, 1980, https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1980/04/06/111226898.html?action=click&contentCollection=Archives&module=ArticleEndCTA®ion=ArchiveBody&pgtype=article&pageNumber=12. [58] Senator Al Franken introduced the Senate version in April 2016. [21], However, the atomic veterans who worked on Enewetak Atoll tell a different story. U.S. However, the years leading up to the first uses of the new weapon over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki saw only one test of a device of which a great deal was not known. These briefs covered a range of topics, including the dangers of radiation, sunburns, swimming, and fishing. From 1948 to 1958, the U.S. conducted 43 nuclear tests on the Enewetak Proving Ground at Enewetak Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. I remember some kind of briefing, but the only thing I remember is watch out for sharks.[22] Army veteran Robert Celestial remembered catching and eating local fish, lobster, and octopus. Economy was to be the order of the day in conducting the atoll cleanup and decontamination. Ken Brownell, who was a carpenter when he served in the military in the late 1970s, was sent to the Marshall Islands in 1977 to build a base camp for hundreds of soldiers assigned to cleanup operations. [33] Philipps, Troops Who Cleaned Up Radioactive Islands Cant Get Medical Care.. 8725 John J. Kingman Road Be Kind and Courteous. Attn: RD-NTS (NTPR) Enewetak Cleanup Project (ECUP) from 1977 to 1980.The purpose of the ECUP was to remove irradiated soil and debris so that the U.S. could return the islands to itsresidents. [19] Furthermore, a sprinkler system was in place to prevent the soil from becoming airborne during these types of operations. Wernick, Adam. Enewetak quickly became a favored test site, beginning with Operation Sandstone in April and May of 1948. [11], The focus for cleanup was on two areas: debris and soil contamination. [17] Willacy, It was supposed to be a trip to paradise, instead it sealed their fate.. Parseghian Cicely O., et al. In 1980 and 2016, DTRA conducted two studies to determine potential exposure to radiation. The residual soil contamination from all the other islands was placed in the Cactus Crater on Runit Island, The crater was covered by a concrete dome called the Cactus Crater Containment Structure. The DOI rehabilitation and resettlement plan also incorporated an agriculture program for the three islands slated to receive the Enjebi and Enewetak people. [8] R.R. [48] Willacy, It was supposed to be a trip to paradise, instead it sealed their fate., [49] Philipps, Troops Who Cleaned Up Radioactive Islands Cant Get Medical Care., [50] Willacy, It was supposed to be a trip to paradise, instead it sealed their fate.. Enewetak Atoll Atomic Debris Cleanup Veterans | Mobile AL [43] The 2016 study stated that the highest of the estimated upper-bound total effective radiation doses for any of the included sample assessments is 0.21 rem (2.1 mSv),[44],[45] which is less than the radiation dose from a chest CT scan (approximately 5-8 mSv). On March 1, 1954, the US military detonated a thermonuclear weapon at Bikini Atoll, producing an explosive yield 1,000 times greater than the atomic bomb that devastated Hiroshima, Japan. [51] The Radiological Cleanup of Enewetak Atoll, 2. 4 were here. Among the island groups was the Marshalls, which became a part of what became known as the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI). "The Enewetak Atoll Cleanup (ECUP) participants conducted all cleanup work (1977-1980) within a structured and effective radiation protection program, which served to minimize radiation doses,". [52], However, receiving compensation for illnesses that resulted from their exposure to radioactive contamination was difficult. Sign up for notifications from Insider! Succeeding tests used the Mike crater or were located close to it, resulting in a near-complete breach of the coral wall surrounding Enewetak. A combined U.S. Army/U.S. Second, the air samples taken indicated that the air was clean enough that the full-face mask respirators were deemed unnecessary, except on the island of Runit. Published April 3, 2016. https://bangordailynews.com/2016/04/03/news/state/maine-veterans-suffering-from-cancer-hoping-that-atomic-veteran-bill-becomes-law/. '", Atomic veteran Francis Lincoln Grahlfs echoed Brownell's remarks about a lack of knowledge on the dangers of nuclear cleanups, writing in a Military Times op-ed last year that "little was known by the public about the long-term effects of radiation exposure. Releasing all we can, protecting what we must. 800-829-4833, Veterans Crisis Line: In 2001, he was diagnosed with stage-four non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and given only six months to live. Washington, DC. Navy, Air Force, and Army Soldiers participated in the cleanup mission. Health Care RECA has had faster response times for claims than those submitted through the VA. Brownell said that in seeking compensation, he's been denied his health issues were acknowledged, but the PACT Act had not yet passed at the time. The soil would be mixed into a concrete matrix to ensure that it could not be spread and would be covered by an 18-inch-thick concrete dome for further protection from the elements. Curtis, Abigail. These reports also claimed that the servicemen were provided with personal protective equipment, such as full-face mask respirators that would prevent the inhalation of radionuclides, and that the safety procedures early in the cleanup process were necessarily conservative.[20] However, in later operations, the requirement that servicemen wear full-face mask respirators was loosened for two reasons. Construction on the Enewetak Radiological Laboratory was completed in May of 2001. Published May 2, 1984. https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/02/us/banished-bikinians-sue-us-for-nuclear-cleanup.html?searchResultPosition=8. Approximately 4,000 U.S. servicemen assisted in the cleanup operations, with 6 lives lost in accidents, in what became known as the Enewetak Radiological Support Project (DOE, 1982). Out of 4300 servicemen, less than 300 are alive. Defense Threat Reduction Agency After an initial series of nuclear tests on Bikini Atoll in 1946, local inhabitants of Enewetak Atoll were relocated to a new home on Ujelang Atoll in December 1947 in preparation for scheduling of the first series of nuclear tests on Enewetak. Many of these structures were adapted from the existing military/testing facilities on the three islands. The Veterans Advisory Board on Dose Reconstruction (VBDR) was established by the Veterans Benefits Act of 2003 to represent the Veterans interest, to make sure Veterans' claims are handed correctly, fairly, and as expeditiously as possible, and assist in communicating information on the Dose Reconstruction Program: eligibility, how to apply for a claim, and the description of the program. The servicemen who went to the more contaminated northern parts of Enewetak Atoll wore these film badges on a monthly basis. The Department of Veterans Affairs told Insider that the PACT Act covers a wide range of cancers for service members involved in the cleanup efforts, though a spokesperson but deferred specific questions about this work to the Department of Defense, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Due to the time between the last nuclear test at the atoll and the start of the Enewetak Cleanup Project, much of the short-lived radioisotopes had decayed to levels that resulted in extremely low dose rates. The largest of the 67 tests that were conducted between 1946 and 1958 was Castle Bravo. Published June 26, 2018. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/6626017/us-cold-war-nuclear-tests-bikini-atoll-pacific-ocean-video/. For example, Paul Laird discovered that he had kidney and bladder cancer at 52 and developed another form of kidney cancer a few years later. Another 12,000 trees, primarily coconut, were planted on seven other islands in the atoll. The combined federal effort cost about $100 million and required an on-atoll task force numbering almost 1,000 people for three years, 1977-1980. JUDGE REFUSES TO REJECT SUIT AGAINST U.S. BY BIKINI ISLAND. The New York Times. However, after the Hardtackseries of tests in 1958, the islands of the atoll were either uninhabitable due to radiological hazards or covered with testing infrastructure. [35] Due to this, the DoD also issued thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) that measured ionizing radiation as a back up to the film badges. The cleanup units would use the crater formed by shotHardtack I Cactus as the disposal site. [48] In some cases, the veterans developed multiple forms of cancer. 2. Although nearly $40 million was requested for the total project in the Fiscal Year 1976 budget, the U.S. Congress only appropriated $20 million as a one-time expenditure for the project. He was sent to Lojwa Island by. ENEWETAK ATOLL CLEANUP DOCUMENTS TThese documents provide information associated with the Department of Defense's radiological cleanup of Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands.