AOL787 /warsd, JUL 20 1979 Mr. Richard L. Williams Office for Micronesian Status Negotiations Room 3356 Department of the Interior Washington, D.C. 20240 BEST COPY AVAILABLE Dear Mr. Williams: In March of this year, the Department of Energy, in response to a Congressional request, provided the first information on the status of progress with the Northern Marshalls radiological survey. In briefings of staff of the Depart~ ment of the Interior and others, we indicated that survey field operations were conducted in the Marshalls in SeptemberNovember 1978, and that the first available results would be aerial measurements of external radiation. The source of this external radiation is fallout radioactivity in island soil from U.S. nuclear explosives tests in the Pacific. This radiation also includes some contribution from worldwide fallout from atmospheric tests conducted by other nations. The aerial measurements are corrected for altitude so that they may be used in development of estimates of doses to persons who live on the islands. In reporting on survey progress, it wag stated that many months of laboratory work on collected samples, and on analysis of these results, would be required before estimates of radiation dose due to radioactivity in food would be completed. Dose from radioactivity in food is expected to be a significant fraction of the total dose. oy aa) wet Lae cSt Maps were distributed in March showing the range of external radiation levels for each of the 13 individual islands and atolls that were surveyed. Also, maps showing how external radiation levels change from place to place on Bikini and Eneu Islands at Bikini Atoll have been distributed. Analysis of this data was a priority effort. Additional information updatine progress in analyzing external radiation measurements was to be available in July of this year.