Department of Eneray
Washington, D.C. 20585
May 15, 1979

Honorable James A. Joseph
Under Secretary of the Interior
Washington, D. C. 20240
Dear Mr. Joseph:
I am pleased to reply to your letter of April 12, 1979, regarding
the possible return of the Bikini people to Eneu Island.
This response will address both of the issues you raise:
1.

Your understanding of previous statements by my staff.

2.

More detailed information on estimated dose assessments for

people living on Eneu Island, including various assumed living
and eating patterns.

With respect to the first point, your understandings are, in general.
correct. The more detailed information addressing the second point
is included as an enclosure to this letter.

If the guidance of the Federal Radiation Council] (FRC) (500 mrem/yr
to individuals, and 170 mrem/yr and 5000 mrem/30 yrs to a population)

is to be complied with, the people could return to Eneu only if it is

assured that adequate imported food would be available to and used by

the people for approximately 20 years, that food grown on Bikini Island
is not a part of the diet, that residence is restricted to Eneu Isiana,
and that visitation to Bikini Island is effectively controlled.

Since the FRC guides were originally formulated, an Environmental

Impact Statement (EIS) was prepared for the resettlement of Enewetak
Atoll.
In the E1S, recommended criteria which are one-half of the

FRC guidance for individuals and 80 percent of the 30-year FRC guidance
for populations were proposed for evaluating land use options for use

in planning the cleanup and rehabilitation of Enewetak Atoll. These
criteria were recommended because of uncertainties in estimating future
doses to the people at Enewetak Atoll. However, following the return
of people to the Islands, direct radiation exposure measurements would

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