AOR UNITED STATES ~ ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20545 MAR 12 1976 . Mr. F. Monroe Zeder, Director Office of Territorial Affairs Department of the Interior Washington, D.C. 20240 Dear Mr, Zeder: This letter is intended to clarify ERDA policy regarding radiological monitoring of present and future inhabitants of Bikini Atoll. In the course of this statement, we will address certain misunderstandings, which have arisen relative to the nature of examinations that are conducted by Dr. Robert A. Conard and members of the Brookhaven medical team, The Brookhaven team has conducted a program of periodic medical examination of the Rongelap and Utirik people because of their exposure to fallout in 1954, However, in contrast to that program, apart from the humanitarian care discussed below, only radiological monitoring examinations have been performed on those workers and native inhabitants of Bikini who have returned to that Atoll. This is being done at the request of the Department of the Interior, The levels of radioactivity on Bikini are considered too low to justify a special program of medical examinations, This view, expressed on numerous occasions in the past, remains valid today. On the other hand, we regard personnel monitoring, carried out by means of the bioassay examination of urine specimens and by whole body counting of persons living in Bikini Atoll, as an intrinsic element of the program of follow-up monitoring of the Bikini people and their environment. If the rate at which radiation dose is received were to exceed expectations, the radiological monitoring program will detect such a situation long before accumulated doses would approach or exceed acceptable standards. As a result of the circumstance that Dr. Conard conducts both the medical examinations and the environmental (one must look at the environment as including people) radiological monitoring programs at Rongelap and Utirik, the two programs have come to be regarded les Collection D841 -EF Fi pox680Jsb7723 2 Forder were, ee men? En a , a fok — Adan __ _ Dee §FF72