—-
Nations.
a
Qn September 7, 1983, the voters of the Marshall
Compact of Free Association which,
will
if ratified
grant self-government to the Marshall
Islands approved
by the
U.
S.
Congress,
Islands, while continuing United
States financial and program aid for the next decade.
The population of the Marshalls numbers some 33,000 persons.
principal
population
centers
are
on
Majuro
Island,
the
capital
The
(Majuro
Atoll), and Ebeye Island in Kwajalein Atoll, which is a missile range under
the jurisdiction of the U. S. Army.
On January 24,
Bikinians.
Thus
ownership.
as
1979, the U. S. conveyed Bikini Atoll back to the
a
legal
matter,
they
possess
all
the
rights
of
However, since the decontamination program for the atoll would
be paid for by the U.
S., it might be subject to U. S.
environmental
law
and radiation protection standards (Appendix E).
1.3.
Radiation Exposure and Control
Studies
by
the
Lawrence
Livermore
National
Laboratory
group
during recent years
have shown that unrestricted settlement on Eneu would
conform
radiation
main
to
island
National
Federal
of
Bikini
this
protection
would
not
standards
be
the
(6).
case,
However, on
as
the
the Brookhaven
Laboratory team demonstrated by direct measurements on settlers in
1978 (4).
The radiation dose from resettlement today would result primarily
from
eating
contribution
locally
from
grown
food
radiation
percent of the dose would
(6)
(Appendix
emanating
stem
from
from
the
D),
plus
ground.
the radionuclide
a
much
More
smaller
than
90
cesium-137, and the
rest from strontium-90. These radionuclides are concentrated in the uppermost layer of the soil.
Coconut products would account for some 80 percent
of the ingested dose.
S000013—
"