Dr. Wachholz stated that while he could not give an immediate reply as official DOE policy, he doubted that DOE would have any objection to an independent assessment as suggested by Mr. Weisgall. The only caveat, and one with which DOI concurred, is that if such an independent assessment group is set up, there should be a mechanism agreed to whereby any “assessor'' would be mutually acceptable on both sides, i.e., to the Government of the United States and to the people of Bikini. Mr. Weisgall also raised the possibility of having non-U.S, participation on an independent assessment panel, particularly Japanese radiation Scientists. He pointed out that as a result of past experience, the people of Bikini had little faith in U.S. scientists. Mrs. Van Cleve stated that DOI, for its part, would respond to the general question of an independent assessment panel in a letter. She felt that this was not an unreasonable request and that hopefully it could be responded to affirmatively. Many details, cost, who would bear cost, makeup of panel, etc., needed to be worked out. 9, Whole Body Counting Reports Mr. Waltz, on behalf of the Bikinians who had to be removed from Bikini Island, asked whether these Bikinians could be told the results of their "whole body examinations." They are examined but never told the results and this worries them. Discussion on this aspect was held and it was agreed that DOI would write to DOE on this matter to see what arrangements could be made. It was pointed out that outside of possible medical privacy rights of individuals something should be possible to let the people know the results of these regular monitoring examinations, Results are made public now, but individuals are, of course, not identified in any such reports which are of a general nature. 10. Questions as to whether some of the 145 residents of Bikini whe were relocated last August may have had higher "body counts" as a result of being involved in the 1954 Bravo Fallout. Mr. Weisgall stated that it is now held that perhaps up to 40 of the 145 people living on Bikini Island may also have been residing on Rongelap Atoll at the time of the March 1, 1954, Bravo Fallout. If this were the case, could the high body levels discovered in April 1978 by the medical monitoring program be partly the result of the 1954 exposure and not completely due to living on Bikini Island? ae t~) a, >’ wht Mr. McGraw of DOE explained that the half life of strontium 90 in a person's body is some 180 days. Any levels in a person's body dating from 1954 would long since have been reduced to levels of non-significance. What was picked up in the April 1978 medical monitoring was the reaction to levels from Bikini Island.