Bruce Wacholz -4- July 23,1979 Anticipated Future Directions Proposed Options and Implications We feel that personnel monitoring and dosimetry efforts in the Marshalls should continue as long as significant doses (with respect to FRC guidelines) are credible. The changing political climate, socioeconomic factors, and living patterns in the Marshall Islands make long-range predictions of doses unfeasible at this time; but even if such predictions were possible, it would still be necessary to verify them with actual dosimetry. The area of greatest uncertainty at this point is over the future habitation of Bikini Atoll. Our personnel monitoring efforts for the past year have been concentrated on internal dosimetry for the Bikinians, and we expect to follow the decline in 137cs and 90Sr body burdens for at least another year. If, however, the Bikini people are allowed to return to their atoll, we will have to redouble our dosimetry activities in their behalf. Follow-up studies with the relocated Bikinians are complicated by the fact that they are now dispersed over several atolls in the Marshalls (although most live at either Kili Island or Majuro Atoll). One set of options then is whether we have an indefinitely continuing dosimetry program for returning Bikini residents, a short-term (~l year) follow-up program for relocated Bikinians, or both. If the Bikinians return in the near future, we could conceivably have an additional field trip or an extended field trip requirement to cover both the returnees and those relocated Bikinians who may choose not to return again. The assumption is that the Ejit Island group at Majuro has arrived at a good compromise and may wish (if given the choice) to remain on Ejit rather than avail themselves of a possible offer to return to Bikini where they still might face an uncertain future. Another "direction" is with respect to the return of the Enewetakese. As previously mentioned, we hope to visit Ujelang later this year to obtain baseline whole body counts and urine bioassay samples. Once the people return to Enewetak, we anticipate a need for annual personnel monitoring visits initially until patterns of radionuclide body burdens are well enough established to be predictable. Concomitant with these visits, we would also institute a periodic assessment of diet and living patterns, and an environmental monitoring program. We have also been asked by OES to attempt to associate radionuclide body burdens among the Bikinians, with radioactivity concentrations in food crops from their family land holdings (watos). The assumption is that a with the highest exposure potential. Enewetak, once it is reinhabited. Such a study would also be useful at family obtains its food primarily from the family wato. If such an association exists, then dose mitigating measures can be suggested for family groups