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4. DOSE
DOE-1982 reported three doses for the Rongelap people who
on Rongelap Island for the period 1978-2008, tacitly assuming a

diet. To this DOE-1982 added the stipulation that the diet woulK
based on "local food only from Rongelap Island" (Note 1).

would live
Feonstant

be

It should be pointed out, however, that the stipulation of J"local

food only" is incorrect. The doses used by DOE-1982 were estimated by
Robison et al (1982b), who based them on the type B community d¥et
described by Naidu et al (1980). That diet involves imported fdods
brought in on a regular basis by supply ship.

The three doses are as follows:
(1) The “highest average amount of radiation the people might
receive in any part of the body" was 2.5 rem. I take this to b
Livermore's "integral dose" in which each year's delivery is sugmed over
30 years (Robison et al, 1982b, Table 17). I will compare it tq@ the
committed whole-body dose (rem) over 30 years (i.e., the commitfed
effective dose equivalent for a standard man).
(2) The corresponding bone marrow average would be 3.3 reg
(Robison
et al, 1982b, Table 14). I take this to be the "tissue dose" agd it is
approximately equal to the committed dose equivalent.
(3)

The highest dose to any one person was set at 0.4 remj

being three times the average dose.

this

For orientation, it may be said that DOE's whole-body and

bone-marrow doses are for practical purposes confirmed by recalfulations
employing the original data and corrected assumptions, and by those
employing subsequent findings on additional field samplings.
However, the independent assessment by the Brookhaven Natipnal
Laboratory, based on whole-body counting for cesium and urinary] analysis

for strontium, lowers the whole-body dose significantly.
in my opinion, is the definitive one.

This

-Fstimate,

Brookhaven's estimate of the transuranic dose (plutonium, Bmericium)
has raised the question of the size of its contribution to dosef-a matter
which is under discussion--but in any case, apparently not gre
enough
to prevent a decision from being made. This matter will be distussed.
The question of infant dosage, neglected previously, has
with specifically (or will be).

Heen dealt

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