224 DASA 2019-2 EISENBUD: The Shunkotsu Maru came that close in 1954 and they didn't seem to be too concerned about it. You may have neticed in the Saturday Evening Post picture that shows me on the deck of the ship, that I waa the only one that didn't have a mask; the Japanese accused me of being a little too cavalier about radioactivity. thought I really ought to take care of myself, DUNHAM: . You were grandstanding! [Laughter] EISENBUD: There was nothing I could do about it. any along and they didn't have any for me. DONALDSON: They I didn't bring I'm about at the punch line of my story, IThope. At the conclusion of the meetings there was to be a press announcement and the place was swarming with newspaper people. They had tele- vision cameras, newspaper photographers all around us; the place just buzzed. The prepared statement, which was handed to the news- paper people, stated that we were in complete agreement and thet the levels of radiation were very low—or non-detectable. You should have seen the expressions on these men's faces. "But these are not great amounts, '' they said. "No. These are the findings of the joint report.'' When we searched the papers the next day we could find only about an inch and a half of print devoted to this news, and I don't think any of the footage was used on television. CONARD: [had one final statement I wanted to make. In regard to the Rongelap body burden situation, it turns out that none of these isotopes exceeded 5 to 10 percent of the MPC (maximum permissible concentration) in the peofle. The children had slightly higher values for the strontium-90, to 20 percent of the MPC in some cases. It was estimated that the total sody dose from all of these internally desposited isotopes only amounted to several hundred millircentgens per year, and, as you know, our MPC levels are based on peacetime limits and are very conservative, with a safety factor of about 10 which is usually cranked in. So, in the aftermath of a nuclear war it would seem to me that this Marshallese experience does tend to indicate that after the first week or so one can live in a contaminated area without too much radiation hazard. FREMONT-SMITH: With that degree of contamination. | CONARD: Yes. But even extrapolating back to larger amounts, judging by tne smaller dosage they received, it would seem that it would be a minimal hazard.