.

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Pacific

Norlhwes[

P.o. Box 999
Richlancl, \Vashingcon
Telephone
Telex

April 29, 1988

Laboratories

U.S.A. 99352

(509)

15-2874

375-2421

‘

Dr. Henry I. Kohn
1203 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94709
Dear Henry:
Thank you for sending me a copy of the third draft of your report “Rongelap
I have just now had a chance to look at it since I
Reassessment Project.”
have been away.
It is progressing very well and should be an excellent
report of considerable use to the Marshallese.
I found a few statements that I believe should be corrected in the interest
of not misleading readers of the report, including members of Congress and
their technical staffs.
of theDOE book (your reference DOEYour report purports to be a review
1982), The Meaninq of Radiation for Those Atolls in the Northern Part of the
Marshall Islands that were Surveyed in 1982, when, in fact, it addresses the
origin of three dose estimatesused
in the DOE” book.
The origin of these
dose estimates is found in the Livermore reports, your references Robinson,
etal.,
1980, 1981, 1982a and 1982b. Thus, you have actually reviewed the
Livermore work and not the DOE book. This is emphasized by the fact that you
do not”compare your estimates of potential health consequences (page 50) with
those in the DOE book, the only calculations actually made by the authors of
the DOE book.
Readers of your report, as it is now written, will also be misled about the
content and purpose of the DOE book. It would be helpful to inform the
reader that the DOE book was written to explain to the Marshallese how the
Livermore survey of the northern atolls was done and the meaning of the dose
YoU do
estimates calculated and published in the Livermore survey reports.
state on page 3 that Rongelap was addressed in only one page of text,
“
reproduced as Note 1, and a map in the DOE book.
I believe it is important to be accurate about these points because a reader
of your report who wanted to examine your source documents could be misled
in believing the DOE book contained the dose calculation and all supporting
.,
data and assumptions.

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