Transuranics in bone of deceased former residents of Rongelap Atoll, Marshall Islands.

Rongelap Atoll received intensive fallout from the 1 March 1954 Bravo thermonuclear test 105 miles upwind at Bikini. Fearful of their continued exposure to radiation, the residents of Rongelap Atoll went into voluntary exile in 1985. Transuranic soil concentrations on Rongelap Island are about 2-3 orders of magnitude greater than the average for the Northern hemisphere; the three dominating transuranics are 239,240Pu and 241Am. Only conflicting information has been available about the extent of transuranic uptake by the Rongelap community. As part of the Rongelap Resettlement Project, the community endorsed the exhumation of bones of deceased former atoll residents to provide an independent estimate of plutonium intake. This approach has the advantage of reducing the uncertainties associated with pathway modeling and the interpretation of urine data. Six graves (4 adults, 2 children) were selected for exhumation. Femora and tibiae were selected as well as humeri from the children's graves. The rest of the remains was left undisturbed. The results of the analysis of 239,240Pu and 241Am are presented. Assuming that the data can be considered as representative for the Rongelap population as a whole, the contamination with transuranics on Rongelap Atoll appears to result in radiation exposures in the order of 1% of the compliance limit of 100 mrem (1 mSv) effective dose equivalent per year.

The association between El Niño/Southern Oscillation events and typhoons in the Marshall Islands.

An analysis of the historic record of typhoons in the Marshall Islands has identified a significant association between the occurrence of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation phenomenon (ENSO) and the occurrence of typhoons in the Marshall Islands. Whilst typhoons normally occur further to the east, the warming of the ocean waters around the Marshall Islands, as part of the ENSO phenomenon, generates typhoons further to the west. The results suggest that typhoons are 2.6 times more likely to occur during ENSO years, with a 71 per cent chance of a typhoon striking during an ENSO year, and only a 26 per cent chance of one happening during a non-ENSO year. This has implications for planning and public safety, which the relevant authorities may wish to take note of.

Archaeological techniques for exhumations: a unique data source for crime scene investigations.

If exhumations to retrieve a body or body samples are conducted according to archaeological methodology, they may provide evidence on events which occurred during the interment process. This article discusses the exhumation methodology employed during exhumations in a tropical environment and provides a case study to serve as an example of the data that can be obtained beyond the simple recovery of human remains.

Decomposition of buried human bodies and associated death scene materials on coral atolls in the tropical Pacific.

The decomposition of bodies and the decay of associated cultural materials, including clothing, personal ornaments, caskets, and grave goods, was investigated based on a series of exhumations on a small sand island on Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands. Decay data were documented for an interment period between 40 and 80 months.