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cans. But over the years, 47 of the
Marshallese have developed thyroid
_ abnormalities, seven of them diagnosed as cancerous. Thirty-five have
had their thyroids removed. One has
died of leukemia. another of cancerof
. the stomach, believed to have ‘een
caused by the Bravofallout.
Bikini {sland. although unoccupied,
wasintensely irradiated, a fact wnich
would have consequences which will
be felt for generations.
The Bravo disaster and the worldwide publicity given to it played a
part in the eventual suspension of nu-
clear testing in 1858—the vear of the
23rd and final shot at Bikim—and in
the nuclear test-ban treaty of 1963,
which ended atmospneric testing by
the United Siates, Britain and the Soviet Union.
With the end of testing, pressure
mounted to return the exiles to Bikini.
William Norwood. now living in retirement in Hawai, served as high
commissioner of the Trust Terntory
from 1966 to 1969.
In a recent interview with The
Times, he said, “We had, of course,
been under pressure from the Bikini
people themselves to get them off of
Kili. They were constantly asking ta
be put on some other island. They
hoped first and foremost for Bikini.
... dT remember being introduced to
Chief Juda, who very emotionally and
persuasively, and almost tearfully,
pleaded with me to e:ther get them
back to E:kin: or. failing that, to get
them a better place than Kah.”
Norwood said that about the same
time a representative of ihe Atomic
Energy Commussion—he does not recal] his name—told him that monitoring of Bikim’'s radiation levels indicated it might now be safe once again
for permanent reoccupation.
In May, 1967, some time after a for-
mal request by Secretary of the [nterior Stewart Udall, the AEC sent a
team oftechnologists to make an in-
tensive radiological survey of the
atoll.
On Aug. 12, 1968. President John-
son announced that Bikim was safe,
that it would be rehabilit.ted and resettled “with all possible dispatch.”
Glem T. Seaborg, AEC chairman,
explained that the President's tinal
decision had been based on the ree-
ommendation of “eight of tne most
highly qualified experts availuble ° af-
ter studying the 1967 survey results
and unanimously conciuding that B1kin Island and Eneu Island. 10 miles
- away,
were
radiojogicully
sate
enough to allow reestaciisnment of
_. the Bilamansthere.
The experts—aill ether AEC em-
eC
sey
* ployes or employes of AEC contrac-
lors —warned that the coconut crabs
should not be eaten because of tneir
~#, high content of stronuum gy. There
~u0) Were NO warnings about anyotherio-
+
a
-
cally to determine how much radiation the people were being exposed to
from external environmental sources
and from the.r diet.
Chief Juda did not live to hear the
news. He had died—shortly before
the Johnson announcement—of cancer, which he believed had been
caused by his exposure to the first Abomb test in 1946, a claim scientists,
are inclined to discount.
Iromeally, especially in view of
what was to be learned 10 yearslater,
several Bikinians expressed suspicion
about the food growing on the contaminated atoll during a tour of the 1slands a few weeks after the Johnson
anhnouncement.
One of the Bikinians, named Jibai,
even refused to touch food from the
atoll, insisting 1t Was polsonous,
Another, Lario, made a forecast
that. from the perspective of 1978,
seems far more acule and accurate
than the predictions of anyof the U.S,
bureaucrats or scientists. “It will take
100 years before the islands are back
in shape again,’ Tobin reported him
as saying... . The islands are completeiy ruined now.”
Still, despite their suspicions and
the obvious enormity of the job. the
Bikinians on the tour apparently were
convinced by the officials and scientists that at least the islands of Bikim
and Eneu. 10 miles away, could be
made livaole.
The Bikinians reported the conditions they had seen and the plans that
were beng made for rehanihtation to
their jeliow islanders on Kil. Only
wo or three of the 300 then living
there voted against the idea of an
eventual return to Bikin.
The cleanup began in February,
1969, using some Bikinians on che
work crew. The rest of the rewabutitatian project—plowing up Bikint and
Eneu Islands, repianting them with
food crops. began later the same vear.
A few families began moving back to
Bikint.
By i974, the $323.000 cleanup and
the $3 milion rehabilitation program
was through is first phase. Forty of
the planned 80 homes nad beenerected.
Then, as planning for the second
phase was beginning, the Bikimans
said they wanted to locate some of
the new structures in the intenor of
the island.
The following year, another AEC
radiological survey was made, Chis
time in more detanl. It was found that
radiation levels in the interior of tne
island were too high lo permit peopie
lo build and live in homesthere.
“We aidn't really find any surprises
in thal external radiauion fieid,” said
Tommy McCraw. who had been in-
volved in both the 1967 and the 1975
surveys.
However. at the same time, it was
determinea for the first tume that focay grown breadfrun and pandanus
—two popular items of diet—were too
more ofa staple in the local diet, were
reported to be safe.
Then last summer, a Lawrence
Livermore Laboratory study done fcr
the Energy Researen and Deveicnment Agency, an AEC successor
agency, found that well water on Bikim: exceeded federal standards for
radioachive Strontium 90.
Other levels of radiation on the island were so Ingh, accoraing to tha
report, that there was little margir
for safe absorption of any additiona
doses from the food chain.
But, at the same trme, ERDA en-
vironmental safety official RogerRa.
said it would be premature to say tha
the Bikimians snould be moved of: ;
their atoll.
By fall. though, there no longer
was any question: Raytold a meetnz
of the Bikini-ki Coune:! in Mavur>
that Bikim Island “should no ionser
be considered a permanent setttement” and advised thet consideration
be given to moving ‘he settlement <2
Eneu.
:
It seemed the scientists had now
determined that the Bikimans wer:
absorbing radiation at a rate substantially above the federal safety standard of .5 rem per year, a measure ment of radiation dosege of any kira
producing oiological effects in man.
According to the Denartment c?
Energy (successor to ERDA) the evternal dose on Bikim Island in 19t7
was .2, the same as in 1974. But the
mternal cose, measured ov an instrumant cailed the wnote body counter, had risen dramaucaily in thr
years—from a top reading of .067 1>
1974 to a top of .538 in 1977.
And the coconut was named as +f.
radioactive “villain,” since it was i.
only locally grown food then bers =
consumed in any quantity. As cr.
sclenlist put it, the coconut palv=
were “sopping up” radioactive cesit..”
137 and stronuum 89 at a me.
greater rate than anvone predictea
High doses of radiation trom th-
Isotopes are known to cause varic .-
types of cancer in man. but scien’:
debate the cancerrisk from reiauselow doses sucn as those to whicn 27Bikinians have been exposed. In gen-
eral. scientists have found that 1>-
lower the dose, the lower the
that cancer will deveiop over a per.
of years.
The people living on Bikini wee >
ordered ertner lo eal no cocunuls cs
ration themselves to one d@ day. nw
they were told the coconuts fro
Eneu werestill safe.
The Trust Territory governme
initiated a feeding program, Esc:
for fish and fowl, the peupie were
eat nothing but U.S. Department o
Agriculture surplus food.
By Februaryof this year, it was of
ficial policy: Bikini was unfit for peo
ple to hve on,
In contrast to 1968, the news wa