AOR B45 +4Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories P.O. Box 999 Richland, Washingron_U.§.A, Telephone (509) 875-3424 Telex 15-2874 June 30, 1981 Dr. Bruce W. Wachholz Department of Energy Office of Health and Environmental Researc’, EV-30 E-201, G . Washington, DC 20545 Dear Bruce: The following are comments on the review of the non-medical component of the Marshall Islands program at Brookhaven. The first part deals with the topics you asked us to address in your May 29, 1981 memo. The second part consists of comments on specific issues. My general impression of the program was very favorable. I sensed that BNL management is directing their attention to the program and has taken steps to improve the project management, to provide guidance and to monitor the projects more closely than they apparently have in the past. PART I 1. Scientific/Technical Approach and Content. There are two distinct parts of this program. One is the monitoring of persons living in a radionuclide contaminated or potentially contaminated environment and the second is the reassessment of the radiation dose to the people. The efforts of the project staff appear to be appropriately directed towards attaining these objectives. I have no serious criticism of the technical approach and content. 2. 3. The two projects seem to be dealing with the principal radio logical issues in the Marshall Islands--those impacting on the Rongelap and Utirik populations, the Enewetak people and the Bikini people who returned to Bikini Atoll for several years. IT am concerned that the interaction between this program and the medical program may be inadequate. The results from this program should be made available to the medical program staff as quickly as possible so that the medical effort can respond promptly to possible increasing levels of radionuclides in the people, etc. Also, the staff of the non-medical program should 99352 rR