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UNITED STATES
ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION
NEVADA OPERATIONS OFFICE
P.O. BOX 14100
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA 89114
March 15,
1971
Maj. General Edward B. Giller, USAF, Assistant
General Manager for Military Application, HQ
BIKINI SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM
The purpose of this communication is to inform you of the clear:
requirement, in our judgement, for conducting a continuing
environmental monitoring program at Bikini Atoll.
I believe that
there are important points, not previously emphasized, which should
be recognized in establishing the need for such a program.
These
include the following:
a.
When the Commission announced its
could be safely returned to their
have recognized that a continuing
This point was a critical part of
(see attachment, Paragraphs 3 and
concurrence that the Bikinians
homeland, it must certainly
monitoring program was necessary.
the Ad Hoc Committee's Report
4).
b.
Actual radiation levels at Bikini as measured in the food, soil and
water clearly require that a continuing monitoring program be conducted in order to assure that human exposure will remain within
the guidelines of the Federal Radiation Council.
Some remedial
measures may be required.
These facts were recognized by the Ad
Hoc Committee.
ce.
Plutonium concentrations on the surface soils of Bikini are about
75 times higher than any concentrations measured so far in the
environs of the Nevada Test Site.
Peak soil concentrations measured
at Bikini are also five times higher than the highest concentration
of plutonium measured outside the perimeter fence at Rocky Flats
and much higher than at any populated area.
These concentrations
are not believed to represent a health hazard but we cannot be sure
until verified by additional monitoring which would be conducted in
a manner to reflect average air concentrations of Pu resulting from
normal living activities of the Bikini residents.
d.
As you are aware, plutonium is a bone seeker and the calculated
exposure to the bone of Bikini children is expected to be about
85% of allowable dose even when considering only the contributions
of Strontium 90, Cesium 137 and Tron 55.
The plutonium contributions
will have to be added to this figure and at this time is an unknown
factor.