UNITED STATES
ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C.
20545
NOY §
Mr. Stanley Carpenter
Director of Territorial Affairs
Department of the Interior
Washington, D.C. 20240
SEST COPY AVAILABLE
Dear Mr. Carpenter:
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As a result of our visit to Enewetak and Biicini Atolls and the
difficulty the Defense Nuclear Agency (DNA) is experiencing in
obtaining cleanup funds, we would like to call several items to
your attention.
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We believe itis essential to verify that the radiation doses to
the returning Bikini people do indeed fall within the predictions
and that they do not exceed Federal standards. In viewof the
complexity of the radiation protection measures necessary for
safe resettlement of Bikini Atoll, we see a need for our respective
offices to maintain a closer working relationship. We urge that
future rehabilitation plans such as development of a proposed
Bikini master plan be coordinated with us in advance of imple-
mentation.
For some time we have been concerned that recommendations on
Bikini rehabilitation (that called for construction of the first
housing and planting of immediate food crops on EneuIsland)
were not strictly followed. Instead houses were built on Bikini
Island and there appears to be a prospect of more home construction on Bikini Island. While we do not believe there is an
immediate problem with external radiation doses exceeding
standards for people living on Bikini Island in the houses already
constructed along the lagoon road, there are two other considera tions that can have an impact on total dose levels.
First, we
are unable to predict the full effect of use of significant amounts
of locally produced food such as pandanus and breadf{ruit that will
contribute to internal dose. Second, with space on cach Wato
near the lagoon shore already occupied by existing housing,
future construction must necessarily be on land nearer the
interior of the island, an area known to have higher external
radiation levels than the shore areas. It is conceivable that the
combination of living in the island intcrior and eating foods grown
on Bikini Island could result in annual doses higher than predicted
by our earlier studics.
5.008.475
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