1 409878 >.4 Battelle Tare Pacific Northwest Laboratones P.O). Box 999 Richlang, Washington U.s.A. 99352 Telephone (509) folex 15-2874 July 1, 1982 Dr. Bruce W. Wachholz Office of Environmental Protection, Safety & Emergency Preparedness Office of Operational Safety Department of Energy Washington, DC 20545 Dear Bruce: The following pertains to the Epidemiology Research Institute Bikini Report. In Table 10, dose and risk values are given which are purported to be those published by DOE, reference 2. Neither the dose or the risk values are accurate representation of the values published by DOE. The "DOE" dose values in the table apparently have been reduced to account for radioactive decay, although that is not stated. While the cancer risk coefficients given are the BEIR-I values used by the DOE authors, but rounded off, the doses are not. DOE chose to use the bone marrow doses because they were slightly higher than the whole body doses and thus were less likely to contribute to an underestimate of the risk. The risk coefficient for genetic effects ascribed to DOE and the ERI "recalculation" of DOE's estimate of genetic effects misrepresents DOE's approach. The following shows DOE's recalculations using the DOE dose values as reduced by ERI to account for radioactive decay. Numbers of affected persons are given for the Bikini population of 550, as was done in reference 2, and also for a base population of 1000 as was done by ERI]. Numbers of affected persons are calculated using risk coefficients from BEIR-1 as was done in reference 1 and also using risk coefficients from BEIR-III for comparison with similar values in the ERI report. Sincerely yours, W. J. Bair, Ph.D. REPOSITORY Environment, Health and Safety Research Program COLLECTION Manager WJB: 1m pox, FSF FOLDER Bihan 19% 2 Attachment DOCUMENT DOES NOTCONTAIN ECI 7 Ag Reviewed pd - Sy? foo 4 ‘cee Lf Date M39 /