Mr.
Wallace 0. Green
July 18, 1980
Pace Three
I have enclosed a recent critique of the Bender and Brill
mewetak Assessment,
which calls into
serious question the analysis
and recommendations contained in that study.
This recent critique,
performed by Dr. Rosalie Bertell of the Ministry of Concerm for Public
Health, challenges the interpretation of radiological data by Drs.
Sender and Brill, end Dr. Bertell suggests prudence in considering the
proposed resettlement of mijebi.
énother critique (also enclosed) by Dr. Karl Z. Morgan raises very
serious questions about the dose assessment calculations of Drs. Sender
“and Brill, and on the basis of his analysis of the Bender-2rill study,
Dr. Morgan seems to
suggest that their study is inadequate for making
a determination about the proposed resettlement of Mmfjebi.
In all honesty, I do indeed favor the resettlement of Mmjebi, but
only on the condition that another assessment of the potential health
risks be commissioned by truly independent and non-governmental radiation
The
experts having no connection with the United States Government.
Bender=-Brill assessment has been criticized by well-respected radiation
. experts, and as competent as these two researchers may be, they present
us with an inherent conflict of interest:
as you may know, both Bender
and Brill are employees of Brookhaven Nationel Laboratory, end there is
an inherent corflict of interest when Government researchers assess
Government data.
As an alternative, I propose that a groun of truly independent
radiation experts be allowed to survey Mmewetak end Mjebi, as well
as all of the Northern Marshall Islands which were exposed to fallout
during the testing program.
I have in mind several radiation experts
and doctors from an independent organization know as "Physicians for
Social Responsibility" (PSR), which is based in Boston, and which has
a membership of more than 1,500 physicians and scientists in the United
States.
I have been in recent commimnication with members of that
organization, and I am told that PSR is very interested in doing an,
independent survey of the Marshall Islands, and in making recommendations
based upon such a survey.
Such an indenendent survey and assessment may ceuse a slight delay
in the Injebi resettlement, but I do maintain that an additional six
months or so is really an infinitesimal period when contrasted with the’
33 years of exile already experienced by the njebi people.
Such a
survey will go a long way to attain some degree of objectivity in the
Marshalls, and it may be a way out of the "nuclear quagmire" which has
caused much in-fighting between various Government agencies involved with
the Marshell Islands, as well as the internal conflicts between the new
Marshall Islands Government and the people of Mmewetak. For me, such a
survey by independent radiation experts seems like an obvious solution
at the present time, and we can only benefit from another point of view