power for a 12 nonth period without needing repairs. Ia addition, vinad- powered alectrical generators were virtually noiseless compared to zasoline powered electrical generators. Thev orfered the possibility of collecting a larze volume air sample without disruption rer ns on outer atolls. 2f quiescent village living dat- <A plutonium excretion study was also undertaken by collecting pooled large-volume urine samples from three to five families at eacn atoll exceot Kwajalein. Early in 1977, the question of the past dose equivalent to the Marshal- lesa who have lived on Rongelap and Utirik, had become an important scientific and nealth related question with considerable political overtones. Borg, Conard, Cronkite, Greenhouse, Naidu and Meinhold, Bond, all members of 3NL, and Sondhaus of the University of California, College of ‘Medicine (UCCM) initiated technical evaluation of the issue. FY_1978 MIRSP funding levels were $207,000 for operating and $10,000 for capital equipment. Staffing levels were 2.0 man years scientific and professional and to +3 aan years technical support. oQ t ram's orinciple staff, Greenhouse and ‘filtenberger made up the pro- Cua and Knight joined the program staff part time. ‘fajor equipment purchases consisted of peripheral alpha spectroscopy equioment for plutonium anatyses of environmental and biological samples. As a result of earlier discussions by Bond, Meinhold, Naidu and others of 83NL, a proposal for Rongelap and Utirik Dose Reassessment (RUDR) had been forwarded to the De- partment of Energy's Division of Biological and Environmental Research (DOLDBER formerly ERDADBER) and the program was funded with an operational budyear of 259,000. sional, Staffing levels were 0.5 man vears scientific and profes- Naidu and Greenhouse were the RUDR program's primary staff.