-3the determination of the life time effects of fallout on the Marshallese ex-— posed radiation on 1 March 1954. The study has focused primarily on the acute "high level'’ exposed population, particularly on the islands of Rongelap and . Utirik (especially on Rongelap). Relatively little data has been collected pertaining to the long term effects of "low level radiation" i.e., above ambient for the rest of Micronesia. Recent developments have stimulated renewed interest in the effects of "low level radiation" and the spectrum that exists on various Marshallese atolls. B. The Department of Energy/Brookhaven National Laboratory feels that the effects of these exposures are small. In fact, they may be undetectable, but that some surveillance program is highly desirable. C. The Department of Energy/BNL would prefer the survey group would have a ‘hon-nuclear"academic identity to prevent the immediate association of a “nuclear laboratory examination” with defacto significant exposure. Unfortunately this is a very important element of the Marshallese perception of any medical study. D. The full-time staff of the BNL Marshall Islands Study consists of one physician, one nurse practitioner and two technicians. We work with a large group of volunteers but are only able to care adequately for 400 - 450 patients. With the projected increase in the study population we would need to vastly increase the resident staff. However, at this time we are currently under a personnel ceiling. E. This study, since its inception, has been an'inhouse™ study. It has been closely related to the Atomic Energy Commission —- ERDA — DOE even though Brookhaven National Laboratory is a private institution formed by Associated Universities, Incorporated. Not withstanding, BNL still carries a label of a national nuclear laboratory". This has led many U.S. and Marshallese antinuclear groups to intimate that the "data™ has been manipulated to protect the U.S. government and "pro-nuclear"” groups. During my tenure as Principal Investigator I have reviewed as much of the original data and the subsequent data that I can find and I am thoroughly convinced that this is just not true. . However, we are in a very poor position with our present organization to disprove this fact. F. We are in the process of establishing a "review committee” for the entire study. As we currently envision this group, they will be a highly respected group of scientists with no direct affiliations with Brookhaven National Laboratory or the Department of Energy (or any of its predecessors). We feel that they should include at least: 1) an epidemiologist; 2) a radiobiologist; 3) a hematologist; 4) a thyroidologist and 5) an oncologist. This group will monitor the work we do here at Brookhaven National Laboratory and I'm sure they would be delighted to work with any other affiliated groups. The preceding outline is really just a first try at the possible impact of a collaborative effort by BNL and Souther California. I realize that it needs a good deal of expansion and the filling in of details. I'd be very interested in your thoughts about this approach and any possible problems that you anticipate might arise. I am sending a letter, similar to this, to Dr. Mathias concentrating more on the training aspects than on the epidemiological aspects of the study.