Memo to E B Giller, Subject: Bikini Surveillance Program

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ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION NEVADA OPERATIONS OFFICE LAS VEGAS, NEVADA 89114 Maj . General Edward B. Giller, USAF, Assistant General Manager for Military Application, HQ BIKINI SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM The purpose of this communication is to inform you of the clear requirement, in our judgement, for conducting a continuing environmental monitoring program at Bikini Atoll. I believe that there are important points, not previously emphasized, which should be recognized in establishing the need for such a program. These include the following: When the Commission announced its could be safely returned to their have recognized that a continuing This point was a critical part of (see attachment, Paragraphs 3 and Actual radiation levels at Bikini concurrence that the Bikinians homeland, it must certainly monitoring prog~m was necessary. the Ad Hoc Committee’s Report as measured in the food, soil and water clearly require that a continuing monitoring program be conducted in order to assure that human exposure will remain within the guidelines of the Federal Radiation Council. Some remedial measures may be required. These facts were recognized by the Ad Plutonium concentrations on the surface soils of Bikini are about 75 times higher than any concentrations measured so far in the environs of the Nevada Test Site. Peak soil concentrations measured at Bikini are also five times higher than the highest concentration of plutonium measured outside the perimeter fence at Rocky Flats and much higher than at any populated area. These concentrations are not believed to represent a health hazard but we cannot be sure until verified by additional monitoring which would be conducted in a manner to reflect average air concentrations of Pu resulting from normal living activities of the Bikini residents. d. As you are aware, plutonium is a bone seeker and the calculated exposure to tk bone of Bikini children is expected to be about 85’% of allowable dose even when considering only the contributions of Strontium 90, Cesium 137 and Iron 55. The plutonium contributions will have to be added to this figure and at this time is an unknown

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Maj. Gen. Edward B. Giller, USAF -2e. Some 46 individuals are living on the Island of Eneu at this time. Approximately 30 are women and children, comprising family members of the 16 workers employed there. It is my strong opinion that because of the critical and sensitive nature of the radiological situation at Bikini, a continued monitoring program is absolutely mandatory. I further feel that this program should be conducted within the AEC family as far as practical. The two contractors that have been conducting this program in the past are most qualified to continue it, and the survey serves ideally to exercise their field resources and to further their program of radiological uptake studies which they do as a part of readiness. Since DOS is not expected to budget for Bikini surveys until FY-73, I feel that it is urgent that work be dontinued during the interim under the arrangements that have been followed in the past. This survey can be done in FY-72 for an incremental cost of about $20K for field support, recognizing our plan to retain the basic contractor resources under the Readiness Program at a total of about $105K. I am, therefore, going ahead with arrangements to field a survey in July of 1971 using the NVOO Agencies which have performed the work in past years (University of Washington Laboratory of Radiation Ecology and the Southwestern Radiological Health Laboratory of the EPA). I would appreciate your concurrence. Ad Hoc Comm. Report