RMI Nuclear Justice Documents

Dr. Robert Conard, Brookhaven Rat
ional Laboratory,
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4
-ented
at InterA sency Meetin(“
Sent. 19, 1975

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A REVIEW OF PERSONNEL MONITORING AT BIKINI

As a result of the recent meeting at Kili by Trust Territory, ERDA and
Micronesian Legal Service officials concerning restrictions on rehabilitation

of Bikini it is apparent that there are several points of misunderstanding in
the minds of the Bikini people concerning statements I have made regarding the

radiological safety of Bikini.

Before reviewing the radiological monitoring

obtained on the people living at Bikini I would like to clarify some of the
confusion.

First, at the time of the Ad Hoc Committee meeting, the visit of
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the Trust Territory and AEC officials to Kili in 1968

and my visit to the

island in 1969, the statements made about the radiological safety of Bikini
were justified based on the survey data compiled at that time,

Subsequent

analyses of personnel monitoring data on the people living at Bikini showed
low levels of vadicactivity in the pcople confirming the original conclusions.
In all sincerity, I disclosed this as additional assurance to the people
living there.

Based on these findings I would not hesitate to live in one

of the houses on Bikini.

T am sad about the statements a few people made

about me at the Kili meeting. ‘I have great friendship and respect for the
people of Bikini and in no way and at any time have I tried to mislead then.
From the beginning there wore certain restrictions concerning rehabilitation
of Bikini. It is only very recently that radiological survey data has made
it necessary to impose further restrictions.
I would like to clear up another point of confusion regarding '"medicai”
examinations.

We have never done medical examinati ons on the Bikini people

for possible radiation effects.

The reason is that the radiation levels are

so low that such examinations are not necessary.

For this reason it is wrong

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for anyone to accuse us of using the people living at Bikini to study radiation

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