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

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