Mr. Wallace C. Green Juiz 18, 1985 Fege Two It is ~yv sincere belief that these "oversights" till be corrected with the nevcly enectec Public Let: 96-205, ené I have faith thet the newly appointed Director of the EroovhaveneNarsnells -edicel progren (Dre Eugh Prett) and his medical team till remedy mary of the past melecies which have afflicted the past orerran. 1 emer mo of Tne present question concermmine tre proposec rere ts Mijebi presents os with an enisne tnvolving e radioloricsl cost-benefit exciyvsis, enc in lieht cf the recent historicel fizrec ct Stikini, it seems spvropriscte to proceec with extreme caution as we eroroach the termination of the United wations Trust agreement witr wicronesi2e. must allow humaniterian concems*“outweigh short-sighted political expediencies, anc the entire history of United Stpates administration in the islands clearly bespeaks tne neet for prudence at this tine. ive It hes beer meintained thet the Mjebi veople favor a return to their ancestr2il islend, despite the potential healtn risks involved in such e return. Counsel for tne Metetak people -- Mr. Theodore Nitchell of Nicromesian Legal Services -= has cozmunicated to me that the Mevetak people truly understané the rediction hazards involved with their proposed return, ené¢ noreover, tnet the Mmewetak people the Enjebi islanders) are prepared to live with those risks. (including I must say, based upon my experience of having lived on an outer island in the Marshalls for two years, and coupled with my current graduate research concerning the sociocultural effects of radiation in the Marshalls, that if the Injebi veople truly understood the longterm effects of residual low-level radiation, then perhaps they might not be so eager to returm to their contaminated island. I of course sympathize with the Enjebi peoples’ desire to return home after their 33 year exile, and I cannot question the sincerity of the mewetak counsel in ettempting to relocate his clients. But I certainly question the supposed "understanding" by the Mmjebi people of the long-term effects of residual low-level radiation, which is itself a major source of controversy amongst the leading radiation experts, both in this country and abroad. For example, there is a new German study entitled "Radiological essessment of the Whyl Nuclear Power Plant" (or commonly knowmas the "Heidelberg Study"), which seriously questions the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's standards about radiation emissions from nuclear power plants to outlying commnities. This study, which is listed as "NRC translation 520," states that "previous NRC exposure models and transfer factors for concentrations of radionuclides in foodchains are inaduquate." The findings of this German study are directly applicable to the njebi health risk assessment question, and the study illustrates the uncertainties connected with low-level radiation assessments and risks.