A Review of Personnel Monitoring at Bikini

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A REVIEW OF 1’ERSOXWL NONITORIJC AT BIKINI As a result of the rcccnt meeting at Kili by Trusc Territory, ERDA and Microncsian Legal Service officials concerning restrictions on rehabilitation of Bikini it is apparent that there are’several points of misunderstanding in the minds of the Bikini people concerning statements I have made regarding the radiolo~ical safety of Bikini. Before reviewing the radiological monitoring obtained on the people living at Bikini I would like to clarify some of the confusion. First, at the tiiieof the Ad Hoc Committee meeting, the ‘“visitof the Trust Territory and A~c officials to Kili in 1968 and my visit to the island in 1969, the statements made about the radiological safety of Bikini were justified based on the suney data compiled at that time. Subsequent ,, analyses of personnel monitoring data on the people living at Bikini showed 1.-NJlevels of i.-adlcr.ctivity in the people confirmin: the original conclusions. In all sincerity, I disclosed this as additio~al assurance to the people living there. Based on these findings I would not hesitate to live in one... of the houses on Bikini. I am ., about me at the Kili rnccting. people of Bikini and in no way sad about the statcme,ntsa fev people -de I have great friendship and respect for the and at any time have I tried to mislead them. of Bikini. It is only ve~~ rcccntly that radiological sumey data has madz ‘ it necessary to impose further restrictions. I would like .toclear up another point of confusion regarding “medical” examinations. We have never done medical examinat~ )ns on the Bikini people for possible radiation effects. The reason is that the radiation levels are so low that such examinations are not necessary. For this reason it is wrong for anyone to accuse us of using the people living at Bikini to study radiation

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effects l Radiation there is too.slight for medical studies to bc of interest since no radiation effects would likely be detectable. The urine collection “ and measurements of the body for radioactivity are not medical procedures and are done by technicians. These measurements are important since they form the basis for reassurance of the people living on Bikini regarding their radiological safety. Though we are not doing medical examinations “if our doctors are at Bikini, as in the see, “treatand prescribe for any people request of the individual or the health people,it is not even necessag for our past, we will that are sick doctors to go always be glad to - but only at the requested by the In”1969Jpersonnel monitoring procedures were begun on a group of 30 ,> worlanenat a work camp on Eneu Island. By 1972 about 3 Eikini families ., had moved back (about 50) and also about 25-30 workers and agriculturists. ‘\n Radiological monitoring at Bikini has been carri”edout annually since 1969. The size of the poi;ulationhas not changed much ”since 1973. In order to assess the radiological hazard the following monitoring procedures have been carried out: 1. Radiocllcmicalanalyses on urine samples: (individual pooled samples). These analyses require complicated chemical and are done for us by the ERDA Health and Safety Laboratory in New York City. Such radiochemical analyses have also been carried but on water and local food products. ,. 2. Direct measurement of radiation in the people by gamma spectrographic an-alysis:To do this tons of radiation-free lead bricks were shipped to the Marshalls and a shielded counting facility set up in one of our airconditioned trdilers and transported to Bikini on our vessel (LCU-Liktanur).

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qlc mcasurcmcnt of body radiation by such an~lysis is very sensitive and rct quircs complex electronic equipment and personnel hi~hly trained in electronics ‘ were derived from data furnished by other radiological survey groups. ‘J%Cresults of the personnel monitoring since 1969 are presented in the accompanying people living at Bikini The data on urine analyses are presented on Table I. Note that average pCi/liier for Eikini urine compared with Rongelap was for Sr 2.5/3.8 and for CS 638/3360. Based on standard ~guide lines (International Congress of Radiation protection - ICRP) these isotopes have been well below nuuirnum permissible levels. Reassuring also is the virtual abcence of plutonium in the samples. Levels for internally absorbed 137Cs as measured by spectrographic analyses are presented in Table 2. Note the average values for males and females on below the maximum permissible levels. Zle graphs in fiarcs 1 that bcdy burden (extrapolated) for 90 Sr and 137Cs in the Bikini well below the peak values noted in the Rongelap people. The Rongelap people reached a peak of 6-11% of the maximum 90 Sr permissible level (for general populations) and of about 22% for . These low values for internally absorbed radionuclides is in accord with the fact that the people on Bikini have been subsisting mainly on imported foods. The contribution of gamm radiation to the people on Bikini is somewhat greater than on Rongelap.

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+ Table 3 compares the total,bone marrow dose (the critical organ for somatic radiation effects) for people living at Eikini, Rongclap, Utirik, Long Island, New Yorlcand Denver, Colorado. Since the people living at Denver have a considerably higher natural radiation and medical, dental contribution, the ex~osure to the people living there is probably higher than people living on Bilcini. The estimated dose to people on Long Island is somewhat less than Bikini doses, also it might be noted that many thousands of people living in.areas of South America and India are exposed to higher lCVCIS than indicated for Bikini due to high thorium content of the soil. There have been no reports of increased cancer or other illness in Denver or these other high level populations that might be related to their incrcascd radiation exposure.+ More recent data from radiological surveys last June at Bikini showing higher than e:.qectedradiation levels in the interior of Bikini and higher levels in pandanus and breadfmit have resulted in,some further restrictions on the future living patterns of the Bikini people. At the time of the Ad Hoc Committee meeting it was not known about plans for building houses in the interior of Bikini Ii-and. Reconunendations to put the first village and food &ops on Eneu were not followed, nor was the rcco~e:;dations to remove topsoil from planting sites of pandanus and breadfruit on Bilcini followed. The recor-nendation for the addition of powdered ti”lk to the diet of the people is being implemented. tie restriction regarding consumption of pandanus and breadfruit may eventually be removed following investigation “ on growth of these plants at Eniwetak. Table 4 shows results of analyses of water samples from Bikini. Based on these findings the WC1l water is in the permissible range. Catchmcnt (rain) water.is very low in activity. With she

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‘construction of ncw cisterns and mend~% of lcaklng ones there should be ample catchmcnt water for drinking and cooking. Consqtion of marine life offers no radiation problem. Coconut crabs (see Table 5) appears to be high enou.$hin activity to be avoided. They are quite scarce in any cvento Further analyses of local products (pigs, chickens,’vegetables, etc.) have not ings, have not been completed. ‘!owever, it is reassuring that the present available local foods and ground water based on these findraised body burdens of radionuclides above the low levels The direct measur~ment of Bikini is the critical test of radiation levels in the people living on radiological safety. The exposure of the people there, based on the present living pattern, arc i.nthe permissible range and as pointed out lower than some other comxriunitie~in the world. As was pointed out radiation exposure is so low on Bikini that medzcal effects would not be discernible in this population (see ERDA letter of We believe that contin-tion of persomel monitoring is important, howaver, to maintain a close check on the radiological status of the people. Also negative findings are important reassurance for the pecple li”vingthere.

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Estimated Dose to Bone Marrow (mrcrn/yr)* USA Dose on Marshall Islands bascclon personnel and cnvironnmntal daza coll~c~i

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EVENT LOCATION DATE - ISLANDS AND ATOLLS IN FALLOUT AREA SANDSTONE - ZEBRA ENIWETOK 5/48 AI LINGINAE, RONGELAP, RONGERIK CASTLE - BRAVO BIKINI 2154 AI LINGINAE, RONGELAP, RONGERIK, TAKA, CASTLE UNION 61KINI 4/54 AILINGINAE, RONGELAP, RONGERIK CASTLE YANKEE BIKIIY; 5/54 AILINGINAE, RONGELAP, RONGERIK, BIKAR HARDT)\CK - MAGNOLIA EN IWETOK 5/58 UJELANG HARDTACK . MAPLE BIKINI 6/58 AI LINGINAE, WOTHO