to have tee authority to really be specific and say either, "don't use - these foods from the northern part," or “yes, it is all right for you to use these things.” We don't have that capability, that understanding of the situation, so it fis hard for us to be, consider ourselves the authority on this. Sut you are, and so, that word, it seems to me, needs to come from you. Ray: . . Well, we certainly could make a very positive statement that 1f you wish to keep your radiation dose as low as possible then, do not eat any foods from the northern islands. Iw just the same way we could say to you, if you wish to keep your-risk of luna cancer to an absolute minimum do not buy or smoke any more cigarettes. Or we could say if you do not, we could say if you do not wish to die in an airplane crash do not again ride in an airplane. [¢ has been our choice, instead of that, to try in the best way we know how, to describe to you the amount of risk that you take in making your own choice about radiation in your environment. We recognize that this is wery difficult, it is difficult for us to explain, it fs difficult for you to comprehend. But, we do not want to be rule makers, we do not want to be saying you may not or cannot do these things. We hope to continue to describe to you and explain to you how these risks relate to other things that you are accustomed to, and hope then that you can make your own judgements. Marshallese: | Before your 1978 survey, we were given a statement and it was perfectly clear and that was, "you shouldn't eat crabs from the northern islands in Rongelap.” Now that is a clear statement, we understand that. Now it seems like your saying, "well, sure you can, if you choose, eat ene a day or something like that." that has now changed? Is that a, am I] hearing you clearly that what you are saying today is different than what you told us before the °78 survey? Ray: I think we are trying to say it in a way that provides greater understanding rather than rules. Jenelzor Balos said earlier that it would be better and easier if we would simply say do, or do not. 90015 74 If it is at all v~