Giff Johnson, a free-lance writer who has traveled extensively
throughout the Pacific, edits the Micronesia Bulletin
published in Honolulu, Hawaii 96826.
by the early 1970s a few people had
begun moving back.
Many Bikinians tell of Atomic Energy Commission scientists taking
them to Bikini to demonstrate its
safety. When the Bikinians refused
wane tare
Pact Ofam
to eat any local foods. fearing radia-
food and housing if they would move
to Bikini.
Dumng an Atomic Energy Commission survey of the more than 100
people living on the atoll in 1975, the
‘‘presence
of
low
levels
of
plutonium” in their urine was discovered. The Commission, and later
the Department of Energy, did not
consider
this
‘‘radiologically
Significant."''? By 1977, tests showed
an |i-fold increase in the people's
body burdens of cesium—137. Rather
than remove the population from a
hazardous environment, however,
the Department of Energy suggested
that the Trust Territory government
institute a complete feeding program. to reduce consumption of
local foods, and thus exposure.
The Department seemedreluctant
to give up what one Lawrence
Livermore Laboratory study called
“possibly the best available source
of data for evaluating the transfer of
plutonium across the gut wall after
being incorporated into biological
SyStems.’’'} The situation deteriorated further and by May 1978,
a high percentage of the Marshallese
body levels were above the
maximum permissible dose allowed
in the United States. The Bikinians
were evacuated again.
26
A
ica
SS
q
ee
‘s
ge
“
TRUST TERRITORY OF THE
PACIFIC ISLANDS
(2.141 islands)
Martesa, Carciine aad Marshall Islands
Total sand poputatioa: 114,645
Inkabited siolls aud separate isimads: 110
Ocens area: @ 3,008,000 square mics
Land rea: 708 square miles
*
.
oy
my bee ce ceceeewenen
voted not to retum home. But the
goverment was committed to the
resettlement and offered Marshallese government employees free
i
Noetans
Tete
®
the Bikinians expressed doubts
about the safety of their atoll and
_%
PONCamm 1m coms
E
foods in front of the islanders to
convince them.!'! In 1972, however,
7}
+
consume conconuts. fish and other
Tl
tion exposure, the scientists would
wt ee
~\
i
‘
:
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