High Commissioner ’
-S-
10/29/80
¥
'
United States Congress, and the other through the courts.
DOE and DO! won't
say, ''Here is the money.'' We must pursue, for ourselves, with the U.S. Con-
gress, and the courts if necessary, this matter.
Q(Johnny :
.
There appears to be a discrapancy between the graphs on page 5 and page
Johnson)
29 on the rate of decay of cesium.
A(B. Robison) :
Cesium in the ground (graph, page 5) decays at the rate of one-half its
O(JSohnny :
Do those Bikinians who left Bikini two years ago have any cesium in
amount after 30 yars. Cesium in the body is eliminated at the rate of one~
third in 100 days. So the body eliminates cesium much faster than it decays
on its own,
Johnson)
their bodies?
A(B. Robison):
Their cesium level has dropped very quickly, and there fs very little
left.
Q:
Of those who have cesium left in their bodies, is there any harm or
danger in their bodies now?
A(B.
Robison):
There
is no
Is there sickness in their bodies now?
immediate sickness, but there
is a small
risk over a
long
period of time, There is no sickness in people we have seen, and the risk
of harm is very small.
A(Dr. Bair):
The number of people in the Marshalls has increased three times in
the last thirty years.
We believe that the population will increase
another three times in the next thirty, years.
If there ware 550 Bikinians me.
there would be 1700 in thirty years. 71300 births would odcur in the next
thirty years, and about,7499 deaths from all causes.
One of the diseases
causing death is cancer.” , 24 of the deaths will result from cancer,
Kili,’ yout get about 20 millirems of natural
“)
radiation per year,
In
is)
thirty years, thatamounts to 600 pmilliremsyg, iving on Kili Weed result-
in 0,06 to 0. 2 mone,“deaths caused by caneéryt This figure’maddsto lees! ncTude do
in the “ttgis of’bie cancer-related deaths overall.
If Gahpersons lived ‘tn’
the United States and re eivéd’ United States background radiatlon,over Be Domi any,
thirty years, there would,be wv0.3 to 1.0 additional cancer death$pbasedwon. wu), +)
the United-States average: rate, which is mac higher than Kilits.
ae
wd
tfpeople had romanceon Bikini, thetradiation -daé%,wail d havecontinued, and the: Fisk o taficer would have increased.
I fypeop le, oxen—bhaiemeay
yeas receive,“5000 mhillirems (and this is, the U.S. Government standard) pe 4 6) 4 As
-, 6.5 to 2.0 additional cancer deaths could; be; expected *Even the radiation
Ys
po
.
.
standard jis not 100 percent safe, there is actiskyf) te
"
want
wreceives 15,5600 millirems in thirty years, the riskincreases by 1. h to-
7.0 additional cancer deaths.
_
And if ondweroierecetua- 50,000 in thirty
years, the risk would increase to $,.0 to 23 additional deaths from cancer.
What this means is that whee“Sramard-per_yearis500_mpbLbieems;-the
ULS.-standard for thiety years~ total intake-ie 5000 millirems. -For.~iLf a
person were to receive.15, 000-mi Ili rems ov
thirtyyears. the increased
risk would bé -1,4-t6"°730.~ Scientistsfee] it is-not-eeceptable to receive
300,millirems every year, but: that-it -is-OK.t6 recel ve’ 500millijrems seme
pyears.
.
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