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Pate Decenber 16, 1982
agervy TO
ATTN OF
EP~32
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Attachment 4
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
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memorandum
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tusstct “Meeting on DOE/EP Northern Marshalls Survey - Majuro Atoll, December 8-9,
1982
TO
James De Francis, CP-2
~
Per your instructions, I attended the miject meeting
.
£4 Patterson had
informed me that he had given Roger Ray the responsibility to act as the
agency spokesman and to answer questions. I was to be an observer. A copy
of annotated notes taken during the meeting and a list of attendees are
attached. No representative fram the Trust Territory attended the meeting.
The Marshallese/English book prepared for presentation of the survey and the
UCRL technical report on the survey results were well received in Majuro.
During the formal briefing on the book and in the question and ansver
pessians that followed, a mmber of requests were heard for additional
information. Other than agreeing to provide available radialogical data and
to pass along those requests that should be directed to the Department of
Defense and to the Goverrment of the Marshall Ialands, no new commitments
for ackiitional work by DOE were made. The earlier agreement to provide the-
Northern Marshalls survey results to the populations of the surveyed atolls
ard islance was reaffirmed. The responses to technical questions by Dr.
Bair thealth effects and risks), and by Dr. Robison (data collection,
analysis, and dose assessment) were very precise and tailored to the
audience. Roger Ray was very effective in responding to questions on the
purpose and findings of the survey and in keeping the participants on the
intended subject...
There was one aspect of the meeting in Majuro that I famd very disturbing.
This involves agency policy on radiation protection in the Marshalls.
The
pest policy has been to view DOE's responsibilities in the Marshalls as
limited in scope and directed primarily toward providing radiological
advice and assistance to the Department of the Interior and to the Bigh
Commissioner of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, advice that has
been thoroughly coordinated within this agency. This advice his emphasized,
as a U.S. Government position, application of Federal and International
LLS100S
radiation protection standards in decisions on radiation exposure issues in
the Marshalls for which the 0S Goverment is responsible. This position
has been reviewed and accepted in numerous congressional hearings in which
BOE has assisted DOI and the Department of Defense in obtaining approval of
their radiation protection plans and programs. The Environmental Protection
Agency, EPA, has informed DOI that OS. standards do apply to US activi-
ties in the Marshalls.
In his answers to questions regarding radiation
safety and the restrictions that DOI has urged the Marshallese to follow on ~
use of food from certain ialands at Rongelap and Enewetak that have higher
contamination levels, Roger
8 statements were not_compatiblewithpest
directly to the Marshallese representatives that
licy. Advice was given
anged and, in theperception of same, voidedpast restrictions.
To gy
Knowledge, these changes were not coordinated with anyone in EP, GC, C,
-~£ the Mavrehalteans at the maetina armearead mire