4AOL7O2 UNITED STATES / ! WtlerWeyy / ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION | \> a1 Tt aes G Rpm WASHINGTON, 0.C. 20545 James L, Liverman, Director Division of Biomedical and Environmental Research REPORT ON MID-PACIFIC MARINE LABORATORY (MPML) MEETING The purpose of the meeting was to formulate a response to H. P. McKaughan at the University of Hawaii of October 26, 1976, that requested you to “consider their previous involvement and wish to submit proposals for continued University of Hawaii participation in the administration of MPML as well as research there.'' The participants were Weyzen, Swinebroad and myself from BER and Maher and Campbell from DTO. Unfortunately McGraw (SSC) was involved in Chinese fallout (II) and did not attend, The consensus of the group was that many of our efforts at Enewetak, plus the Marshalls and the Pacific, were fragmented and uncoordinated in spite of the heroic efforts by Roger Ray over the past two years to accomplish this. Therefore, we felt the broader question of future ERDA direction and responsibilities in this area should be addressed rather than the immediate detail of MPML sponsorship. ; lee Hehers , Discussions revealed that MPML can play a lead role for ERDA in the following areas over the next decade: 1) provide an understanding of transuranic cycling mechanisms from a contaminated atoll into marine food chains leading to man; 2) provide an educational and training ground for marine scientists for short term projects--this has been the major function of this laboratory up to 1974; 3) address specific radiological health and safety questions raised during DNA's clean up activities as well as follow-up during DOI's rehabilitation of this atoll, some of us in ERDA that still believe that DOD's Corps of Engineer approach of placing the 850,000 cubic yards of radioactive debris from Engeby and Runit in Cactus and La Cross crater will not be a permanent solution to the waste disposal problem headache and will be ERDA's for many decades; 4) encourage reputable scientists to attack specific problems associated with the returning Marshalls, e.g. studies of fish diseases such as ciguatera, studies of the water-lens dynamics in the islands and environmental sources for plutonium that was found in pooled urine samples,