t+ should be noted that while the team included an ex vert on radiation did net oresume to take up a hichly technical role. Pius was essentially a churen visitation team sent as an express ien ez church cencern, ‘ailing | to listen to all persons and grcups - having a FT ee ,e sianificant messacqes about that situation. We saw our role be interpretive, reflective, consultative and directed towards a clearer, mcre helpful response on the part of the churches. to Among the categories of people we encountered were: people displaced from their land, groups that experienced high levels of radioactive fallout, people living in "tempcrary" homes or are affected be- cause tneir testing, land is continually used for US presence and missile officials of the Marshall Islands Governments and other -Tlitical leaders, church leaders, a lawyer, medical doctors, issionaries, an anthropologist, US officials and civilian employees at Mwajalein and American Lavoratories. if, RADIATION in the 37 years Darshalls scientists from Lawrence Livermore National AND RELATION QUESTIONS since the atom bomb was first "dropped" on the at Bikini, the lives of not only the exiles from their smol nd (Bikini and Enewetok), or the groups irradiated, but the ives Of all Marshallese have been radically altered. The effects t radiation pervaie their existence far beyond the readily observcle and reported health and environmental effects associated with no extensive US nuclear weupons testing program in the Marshalls. Tiday, in the broad sense, “radiation” is a basic, pervading reality for all Marshallese pecple. iv.ceed, a new culture, vocabulary and mythology have developed around the radiation question. Whenever there 1s a physical ebility, a.,birth anomaly or other abnormality, the people tend to beiieve that such had not occurred before "The Bomb". Cases of fish poisoning, unusual plant discase, the demise of the highly valued arrowrcot plant (a traditional to be attributed to radiation, scientific evidence. Myth cr reality, painfully real, staple), even though this seem invariably is contrary to these anxieties and fears are and they are a consequence of the testing program. Tne radiation question is a difficult one, even for scientists who have been working with it for many vears. Many dedicated US scientists have been involved in an extensive effort over many years to assess and treat the effects of radiation exposure of Marshallese and to mcnitor the residual radioactivity contaminating many of the islands in the northern atolls. It would appear that they have performed with honesty, and with a reasonable in most cases -- particularly in recent years -level of competence. Nevertheless, it is always rossible to identify areas where more attention should have been focused. Two such areas which have become critically important are (1) the education of the Marshallese on the nature of radiation and its human and environmental effect and (ii) providing adequate medical care and compensation for victims of the atomic bomb test, Related to the first area the recent US Department of Energy (DOE) nooks on the radioactive contamination of Enewetok, Bikini and the northern atolls have been almost totally ineffective, and in some ~ -— ow -