Nuclear Task Force
Completed in 1996. In 1995, the International Joint Commission (hereafter: the Commission or IJC) authorized a "Nuclear Task Force" (hereafter: the Task Force) to review, assess and report on the state of radioactivity in the Great Lakes, and to carry out such other activities as the Commission may, in future, so direct. As an initial project, the Commission requested a review and assessment of the status of radioactivity in the Great Lakes. That project had a completed time within the 1995-1997 biennial Great Lakes reporting cycle. In addition, the Commission authorized the Task Force to recommend additional projects based in part on the following criteria:
a. Work performed in the preparation of the report on the state of radioactivity in the Great Lakes. The Task Force would use its report on the state of radioactivity as the principal vehicle upon which to base recommendations for various projects. An objective of the report was the prioritization of nuclear problems in the Great Lakes requiring analysis and remediation.
b. Concerns of the Commissioners.
c. Problems brought to the attention of the Task Force by its Members, Associates, and others in the course of its work.
The Commission requested that The Task Force make its first official recommendation of additional projects upon the completion of work for its first assessment of the state of radioactivity in the lakes. Further, the Task Force shall undertake such other projects as the Commission directs and shall seek from the Commission directly whatever resources and funds are needed for specific projects and support. The report herein responds to the mandate set forth by the Commission in 1995.
The Task Force determined that an "Inventory of Radionuclides" for the Great Lakes was an essential project to address the "state of radioactivity" in the Lakes. Following that decision, the Task Force undertook a study to produce such an inventory. This report results from that work.