RMI Nuclear Justice Documents

Rol
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Veh» ,
.
Dre Robert
Conard, Brooxhaven Nahional Laboratory.
f ssented

at Interlsency Meetin(

Sent. 19, 1975

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A REVIEW OF PERSONNEL MONITORING AT BIKINI
As a resultof the recent necting at Kili by Trust Territory, ERDA and

Micronesian 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
radiological 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 time of the Ad Hoc Committee meeting, the visit of

the Trust Territory and AEC 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 survey data compiled at that time.

Subsequent

analyses of personnel monitoring data on the people living at Bikini showed
low levels of vadicactivity in the pcople confirming the original conclusions.
In all sincerity, I disclosed this as additional 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 sad about the statements a few people made

about me at the Kili meeting. I have great friendship and respect for the

people of Bikini and in no way and at any time have I tried to mislead thea.
From the beginning there were certain restrictions concerning rehabilitation
~

of Bikini.

°

It is only very recently that radiological survey data has made

it necessaryto impose further restrictions.

I would like to clear up another point of confusion regarding "medical"
examinations.

We have never done medical examinations on the Bikini peopie

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

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for anyone to accuse us of using the people living at Bikini to study radiation

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