2, wee ene ve au emee ae es = Continued from 6th Page cans. But over the years, 47 of the ‘* Marshallese have developed thyroid _ abnormalities, seven of them diagn: osed as cancerous. Thirty-five have -. had their thyroids removed. One has .. died of leukemia. another of cancerof . the stomachs believed to have keen - . caused by the Bravofallout. Bikini Island. although unoccupied. was intensely irradiated, a fact which would have consequences which will be felt for generations. The Bravo disaster and the worldwide publicity given to it played a part in the eventual suspension of nu« clear testing in 1958—the vear of the 23rd and final shot at Bikini—and in the nuclear test-ban treaty of 1963. which ended atmospheric tesung by the United States, Britain and the So- viet Union. With the end of testing, pressure mounted to return the exales to Bikim. William Norwood, now fiving in re- tirement in Hawan, served as high commissioner of the Trust Territory from 1966 to 1969. cally to determine how much radiation the people were being exposed to from external environmental sources and from their diet. Chief Juda did not live to hear the news. He had died—shortly before the Johnson announcement—of cancer, which he believed had been caused by his exposure to the first Abomb test in 1946, a claim sctentists, are inclined to discount. Ironically, especially in view of what was to be learned 10 yearslater, several Bikinians expressed suspicion about the food growing on the contaminated atoll during a tour of the islands a few weeks after the Johnson announcement. One of the Bikinians, named Jibaj, even refused to touch food from the atoll, insisting 1t was porsonous. Another, Laiio, made a forecast that. from the perspective of 1978, seems far more acute and accurate than the predictions of anyof the US. bureaucrats or scientists. “It will take 100 years before the islands are back in shape again,” Tcbin reported him as saying... . The islands are com- pletely ruined now.” In a recent interview with The Times, he said. “We had, of course, been under pressure from the Bikim people themselves to get them off of Kili. They were constantly asking to be put on some other island. They hoped first and foremost for Bikim. ... remember being introduced to Chief Juda, who very emotionally and persuasively, and almost teariuily, pleaded with me to either get them back to E:kin: or, failing that, to get them a better place than Kill.” Norwood said that about the same time a representative of the Atomic - Energy Commission—he does noi recall his name—toid him that monitoring of Bikint’s radiation levels indicated it might now be safe once again for permanent reoccupation. In May, 1967, some umeafter a formal request by Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall, the AEC sent a Still, despite their suspicions and the oovious enormity of the job, the Bikinians en the tour apparently were convinced by the officials and scientists that at least the tslands of Bikin and Eneu, 10 miles away, could be made livaple. The Bikinians reported the conditions they had seen and theplans that were being made for renanilitation to their feliow islanders on Kil. Only two or three of the 300 then living there voted against the idea of an eventual return to Bikini. The cleanup began in February, 1969, using some Bikinians on the work crew. The rest of the rehabihtation project—plowing up Bikim and Eneu Islands. replanting them with food crops, began later the same vear. A few families began moving back to tensive radiological survey of the atoll was through tts first phase. Forty of the planned 80 homes nad been erected. Then, as planning for the second phase was beginning, the Bikinians said they wanted to locate some of the newstructures in the interior of the tsland. team oftechnologists to make an inOn Aug. 12, 1968, President John- son announced that Bikini was safe, that it would be rehabilit.ted and resettled “with all possible dispatch.” Glem T. Seaborg, AEC chairman, explained that the President's final decision had been based on the recommendation of “eight of the most highly quahfied experts avaituble” after studying the 1967 survey results and unanimousiy conciuding that Bi- kin? Island and Eneu Isiand, 10 miles _ away, were radiologically sate “ enough to allow reestaoiisnment of ’, the Bikimansthere. The experts—ail either AEC em- * ployes or employes of AEC contraclors —warned that the coconut crabs shouid not be eaten because of their hugh content of strontium 90. There were no warnings about anvotherlo- Bikini. By 1974, the 323.000 cleanup and the $3 million rehabilitation program The following year, another AEC radiological survey was made. this tume in more detail. It was found that radiation levels in the intenor of the island were too high Lo permit peopie to build and live in homesthere. “We didn’t really find any surprises In that external radiauon fieid.” said Tommy McCraw, who had been 1n- volved in both the 1967 and the 1975 surveys. However. at the same time, it was determined for the first tume that lo- cay grown breadfrut and pandanus two popular items of diet~ were too tal foods. They recommenced that “ ragioacuve to be safely consumed ‘= Tadiological checks be made periodiover the long term. Coconuts, even moreof a staple in the local diet, were reported to be safe. Then last summer, a Lawrence Livermore Laboratory study done fer the Energy Research and Deveiopment Agency, an AEC successor agency, found that well water on Br- kin1 exceeded federal standards for radioactive Strontium 90. Other levels of radiation on the island were so high, accoraing to the report, that there was little margir for safe absorption of any additiona doses trom the food chain. But, at the same time, ERDA en- . vironmentalsafety official RogerRay said it would be premature to sav tha: the Bikinians snould be moved oi! their atoll. ‘ By fall, though, there no longer was any question: Raytold a meetinz of the Bikint-Kili Council in Mayurc that Bikim: Island “should no longer be considered a permanent settiement” and advised that consideration be given lo moving the settlement to Eneu. . It seemed the scientists had now determined thal the Bikinians wer> absorbing radiation at a rate substantially above the federal safety standard of 6 rem per year, a measurement of radiation doszge of any kina roducing olological effects in man. According to the Department c/ Energy (successor to ERDA) the evternal dose on Bikini Istand in 1977 was .2. the same as in 1974. But the imternal dose, measured o¥ an instrument cailed the wnote bod¥ cour ler, had risen dramaticaily in thr . years—from a top reading of .067 in 1974 to a top of .538 in 1977. And the coconut was named as thr radioactive “villain,” since it Was th. only locally grown food then be:r > consumed in any quantity. As on. scientist put it, the coconut palr-s were “sopping up” radioactive cesit.> 137 and strontium YO al a mu greater rate than anyone predictea. High doses of raciaion from the isotopes are known to cause varicu’ types of cancer in man. but stienus:debate the cancerrisk from reiatsvce’ lowdoses such as those to whicn tx Bikimians have deen exposed. In gereral, scientists have found that +7: lower the dose, the lower the r: that cancer will develop over a per... of years. The people living on Bikini wer ordered either to cat no coconuts cr rauon themselves to one a day. i. they were told the coconuts fre Eneu werestl safe. The Trust Territory governme: iniuated a feeding program. Exe: for fish and fowl. tne peopie were eat nothing but U.S. Department « Agnculture surplus food. By Februaryof this year, it was o ficial policy: Bikini was unfit for pec ple to live on. In contrast to 1968, the news w. not announced to the world by tu President of the United States.