ATOMS, NATURE, and MAN Man-made Radioactivity in the Environment by Neal O. Hines The Understanding the Atom Series Nuclear energy is playing a vital role in the life of every man, woman, and child in the United States today. In the years ahead it will affect increasingly all the peoples of the earth. It is essential that all Americans gain an understanding of this vital force if they are to discharge thoughtfully their responsibilities as citizens and if they are to realize fully the myriad benefits that nuclear energy offers them. The United States Atomic Energy Commission provides this booklet to help you achieve such understanding. Edward J. Brunenkant, Director Division of Technical Information UNITED STATES ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg, Chairman James T. Ramey Wilfrid E. Johnson Dr. Theos J. Thompson Dr. Clarence E. Larson CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 SOME PRELIMINARY IDEAS 2 A VIEW IN PERSPECTIVE, 1946-1963 8 THE ATOM IN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES 20 ENVIRONMENTS—SINGULAR, YET PARTS OF A WHOLE 29 PROBLEMS AND PROJECTS 41 WHERE ARE WE NOW? 52 SUGGESTED REFERENCES 55 United States Atomic Energy Commission Division of Technical Information Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 66-61322 1966 [Illustration: THE COVER Scientists aboard a seagoing vessel prepare to study contents of a plankton net as part of their research into radioactivity in an oceanic environment.]