During the early years of development of the nuclear program in the United States, more than a hundred sites were used by the Manhattan Engineer District (MED), the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), and/or its uranium suppliers. Many of these sites are no longer used for such activities, but, in many cases, the real estate remains con¬taminated with radioactivity and can be a potential source of exposure to members of the general public. In addition, 22 inactive uranium mill tailings sites exist in the western part of the United States.nRadioactive contamination conditions range from slight contamination on the surfaces of buildings and equipment to extensive contamination of the subsoil. The Department of Energy is conducting a program to assure that adequate precautions are taken in the management of these properties to provide for the cost-effective protection of public health while per-mitting further use of land and other resources. Several issues which should be considered in the development of an effective policy for long-term management of such properties are identified.
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