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Machine-read from the scan, so expect some errors. Lines that couldn’t be read are left out.
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As you know, I have been in touch with Ole Walmod-Larsen, one of the Danish Health Physicists that participated in the Thule affair. I believe that you also know him. Last fall, Ole called me and asked for some help for a presentation that he was giving in Copenhagen in early October. His presentation was to be given during a public hearing relative to alleged health effects among Danish workers who were at Thule AB during the time of the accident. I sent him a few color slides of the operation that I collected during my tour at Kirtland. He was very appreciative and said that the slides were a valuable part of his presentation. Since then. Ole has sent me a couple of documents that are quite interesting. The first is a translated abstract of the results of the public hearing that he participated in. Ole’s comment was that they won the battle but lost the war as the Prime Minister decided to compensate all of the Thule workers regardless of the lack of any scientific evidence that any of them were harmed by the contamination that resulted from the crash. The second document is a translation of an article that appeared in a leading Danish newspaper on Christmas eve. The article severely criticizes the compensation. (I would like to see a similar article about our compensation program for the Enclosed for your information are copies of both documents. The penned in notes on the first article are mine, based on a telephone conversation with Ole. Please feel free to pass copies of these documents on to interested parties. I am providing copies to Lt.Col. Don Jordan, the Chief H.P. in the Surgeon General’s Office, Mike Schaeffer, the NTPR Program Manager at DNA, and Dr. Neil Otchin at the DVA. I’m leaving tomorrow for San Antonio to give a briefing on the Thule Broken Arrow at the BEE Symposium. My color slides are getting lots of use lately. This will be one of my last hoo rahs as I’m going to retire next month and move to Hot Springs, Arkansas. Let’s keep in touch.
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The Objective of the Hearing and its Procedure _ , Taking the report from the international group of experts as a slavLtng-poini , the objective of this Hearing was tr; shed all lighi 00 Jhe health aspects of die Thule arritlenl. On this background, the group set up to study the consequences to health of the Thnle accident (hereafter called the Thule Group) and the Ministry of Health arranged a public hearing to deal with the following four main items: 1 A 1 hereunder the measures taken to ensure that Thule workers and L Greenlander seal-hunters suffered no damages to health. A report on the health of die Thule workers and ifte Greenlander seal- ’A l eporL on ihe possibility of a connection between the accideni/clean-up operations and the state of health of the Thule workers and the .f ^ reP0rt 0111ie consequences to the health of the local population of the 0 Thule accident and its environmental impact. /o~fr0r^ Summary of the Conclusions of the Thule Gronp At the Hearing reports were given on the progress of and the circumstances surrouTulTug rhe accident as well as on the investigations carried out from Based on these reports and on the debate at the Hearing, the Thule Group summarized its conclusions os follows:
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The invcstigatioiis carried out hitherto have been unable to prove that the Thule workers, the Greenlander seal-hunters, or the local population have suffered damages to health as a result of exposure to radioactivity. No uptake of plutonium has been found in these population groups. The Thule Group has, however, noted that certain cancers have a very long period of latency, There are no investigations that can show whether 'Thule workers or Greenlander seal-hunters have suffered health damage as a result of exposure to other dangerous materials. The Thule Group consider that this factor cannot be excluded hut it is improbable that data can be obtained to elucidate The investigations that were carried out, ami not least the Healing, have shown that the accident and its clean-up entailed enormous efforts, in the first instance by the Greenlander seal-hunters and then by the Thule workers, and that the work had to be carried out under extremely difficult conditions. The participation of the Greenlanders and the Thnle workers in the clean-up operations involved much risk. Because of the very nature of this work it entails much uncertainty. It can be ascertained however that the Greenlanders were employed inside this so-called zero-line during the initial phases of the clean-up and that they were not in advance informed of the health ri.sVs ihai. might ix:c»t iri this situation. The Thule Group feel that these uncertainties, combined with the later debate and the questions of doubt, etc. may have con tributed to the development of the remarkably numerous symptoms described by the Thule workers today. On the background of the information that came to light during the Hearing, as well as on the reports mentioned above, the Group cannot recommend that
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any farther investigations be carried out on die health of the Thule workers and the Greenlander seal-hunters. The conclusions to be made on a political level must be made now. It was furthermore ascertained at the Hearing that a comprehensive measuring programme has been carried out since the accident with respect to radioactive contamination of the environment. Thus is was ascertained that at no moment in time has there been any danger connected with the ingestion of foodstuffs of animal/Bsh origin taken in the area. On present information and studies it is estimated that some 500 grammes of plutonium still he on the seabed. For purpose of scientific research, as well as for continued environmental documentation, it is recommended that environmental monitoring be con tinued in the area. This is furthermore of importance for the provision of information to the local population. The Thule Group finally recommends, if a similar accident should occur, that blood, urine and assne samples be taken immediately after the event from those people that may have been affected by it, and that a database be set up with clinical information and details of exposures, etc. Moreover the greatest care should be taken to provide information about the accident and its pos sible consequences to all whom it may affect The Thule Group concludes herewith its work. nservatives) wished to make the following minority statement: After the Hearing today we conclude fhar
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1. It has been proved with considerable clarity that no Thule workers have taken zip abnormally large amounts of plutonium into the body. 2. The Investigations carried out where unable to prove that the Thule workers and the Greenlander seal-hunters have suffered damages to their health as a result of exposure to radioactive contamination. 3. The investigations were unable to prove that there was damage, to health as a result of exposure to other dangerous materials. 4. The investigations carried out show that there is no difference - measured in terms of mortality, cases of cancer or hospitalization - between the state of health of the Thule workers domiciled at the Thule airbase during the time of the clean-up operation and those domiciled there outside this period. 5. There is no need for further investigations of the Thule workers with a view to finding a basis for political decision-making, inter alia because the accident occurred 27 years ago. 6. Not one of the eAperts on the panel felt convinced that there was an obvious connection between plutonium contamination and the occurrence of serious illness in the Thule workers.