Marshallese: Now I would lTke to also, then, repeat the question that I asked yesterday. Does this indicate that these atolls are all within safe standards for people to live and eat the food that is grown on those atolls? Ray: We do not normally try to characterize a location as safe or not. It is a matter of amount of risk and the amount of risk is set forth here. Marshallese: It seemed like yesterday the statement was said that actually | the amount of radiation in the Marshalls is similar to that of other places _in the world. And so that would indicate that, well people live fairly freely in their places, other places in the world, and if we are like them, that it seems to me that we ought to have that same description of our conditions, that it is safe to be there. actually we shouldn't eat certain things. talk. And yet, no, we hear that So you seem to be talking double It seems like you say in one statement, we are like other places, and in another statement you are saying, no it is different. Ray: What we are saying is that with the exception of Bikini Island, the, all of the locations we have studied, Bikini Island rather than atoll, all of the locations we have studied would meet the standards, stay within the standards living in those places. However, there are places where choices can be made to keep the radiation exposures of people lower, even, by, for example, restricting the intake of food from the northern islands of Rongelap. That seems a smart thing to do if there is an alternative and there is. Senator John: Thank you for your reply and it seems like now that's a little different from what I understood you to say yesterday. It seems like yesterday you were saying everything was fine and dandy and now you at least say, separated Bikini island out. I would like to now ask about Enewetak. I would like to ask about that if you are going to talk about Enewetak. And then I would like to be heard again after he's finished. DOE ARCHIVES 28