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Safety & Environmental Protection Pivision
June
6,
Now York 11973
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pork:
Dr. Bruce Wacholz
Office of Environment
US Department of Energy
Washington, DC
20545
Dear Bruce:
In response to your letter of June 1, 1979, we have not been requested by DOE
to provide Interior with information on our personnel monitoring activities.
I
would in fact prefer that such information be: provided to DOI through EV unless
otherwise directed.
Please inform me as to your preference.
In the meantime,
the following information is the best we have to date in response to the questions
which you raised:
1.
We do not know (and have no means immediately available to estimate) how many
people may have lived at Bikini Atoll between 1969 and 1978.
When we began
field trip visits in 1974, there were approximately 40 people {presumably Trust
Territory-employed caretakers and their families) Living on Bikini Island.
The
population grew over subsequent years until August 1978, when all -140 persons
then in residence were moved to Kili.
We-are uncertain about the breakdown,
but some of the 140 had land rights on Bikini, while others were T.T. employee
families without land rights.
2.
In April 1978, the BNL medical team conducted sick call at Bikini Island.
At
that time, a census was conducted and 135 persons were living on Bikini Island.
Some individuals were not present.
We estimate that the island population was
between 135-145 with 140 as the most probable figure for April 1978.
Of the
140 persons, 30 persons were estimated to be less than 5% years old, and 22
persons less than 2 years of age.
We have assumed that the number of persons
relocated in August 1978 was essentially the population of April 1978.
3.
Bob Miltenberger had an opportunity to discuss population statistics on May 19,
1979 with Tomaki Juda (a member of the Kili Council) and Ralph Waltz (a Kili
Council spokesman).
They stated that during the entire post-testing period
during which Bikini was inhabited (-1969 to 1978) only 2 or 3 (extended)
families having land rights at Bikini ever lived Lhere.
These families
comprised about 15% of the total population, the remaining 85% being T.T.
employees and their dependents.
The following table
presents our best
information to date in response to your questions 7%, 4, 5, 6 and 7.
BEST COPY AVAILABLE