Henry I. Kohn, MD. PhD
TESTIMONY FOR CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE HEARINGS
4.19.89
I am Henry I. Kohn, Referee, Rongelap Reassessment Project,
whose preliminary (4.20.88) and final Reports (7.22.88; 3.1.89 re-edited)
were submitted to the Congress and to the President of the United States
pursuant to the Compact of Free Association Act of 1985. Here, it is only
necessary to state their major conclusions concerning the habitability of
Rongelap Island, which was abandoned several years ago by its residents
for fear of being poisoned by the current yadiation levels.
There are two central questions.
(1)
Two Government Laboratories (Lawrence Livermore, Brook-
(2)
The radionuclide dosage to infants and small children
haven) have obtained discordant results with respect to plutonium dosage
by two different methodologies.
I believe that one Laboratory was in
error primarily owing to the great difficulties of urine sampling, and I
am told that the crucial testing of this matter should be completed by
the end of 1989. I anticipate that the results will permit adult resettlement of Rongelap Island.
1 may add that the importation of food to support
the resettled population will be as necessary in the future as it has been
in the past.
has come into question by the Rongelap People.
I believe that additional
data-collection on diets would settle this point in a matter of months.
My estimates based on Peace Corps data indicated that this is not a
problem scientifically.
The tests to meet the requirements of (1) and (2) above should
be done and communicated to the Rongelap People in such a way as to be
impressive and convincing. By this I do not imply spending millions.
I
do imply that the tests be aimed directly at the two central questions
and be done thoroughly.
Furthermore, direct steps should be taken to inform interested
citizens of what is being done to solve their problems -~- discussion should
not be limited to one or two political leaders and their paid consultants.
National Laboratory scientists, DOE personnel and Rongelap officials must
be willing to participate in such efforts in an appropriate way.
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