it b4 should noted that while the team included an expert on radiation Q @ tt ow roa Ww , be “ ute aff srts, it did net presume to take up a hichly technical role. his was essentialiy a church visitation team sent as an expression church concern, willing to listen to all persons and groups ving sianificant messages about that situation. We saw our role to interpretive, reflective, consultative and directed towards a Learer, mcre helpful response on the part of the churches. IO AO Heh ‘a “nong the categories of people we encountered were: people displaced rom their land, groups that experienced high levels of radioactive allout, people living in "tempcrary" homes or are affected bea . Rd Hi asting, officials of the Marshall Islands Governments and other Clitical leaders, church leaders, a lawyer, medical doctors, ro 1ssioOnaries, an anthropologist, US officials and civilian employees @ét Kwajalein and American scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories. PADIATION AND RELATION QUESTIOUS t + mo i) — Uhr Ob tH oO the 37 years since the atom bomb was first “dropped” on the rshalls at_Bikini, the lives of not only the exiles from their omel.ind (Bikini and Enewetok), or the groups irradiated, but the ves of all Marshallese have been radically altered. The effects radiation pervade their existence far beyond the readily observ-Sle and reported health and environmental effects associated with ne extensive US nuclear weapons testing program in the Marshalls. Tiday, in the broad sense, “radiation” is a basic, pervading reality for all Marshallese pecple. Inceed, a new culture, vocabulary and mythology have developed eround the radiation question. Whenever there is a physical Jebility, a.,birth anomaly or other abnormality, the people tend to believe that such had not occurred before "The Bomb”. Cases of fish poisoning, unusual plant disease, the demise of the highly valued arrowrcot plant (a traditional staple), seem invariably The is to be attributed to radiation, even though this is contrary to scientific evidence. Myth cr reality, these anxieties and fears are vainfully real, and they are a consequence of the testing program. radiation question a difficult one, have been working with it for many have been involved in an extensive and treat the effects of radiation mcnitor the residual radioactivity even for scientists who vears. Many dedicated US scientists effort over many years to assess exposure of Marshallese and to contaminating many of the islands in the northern atclls. It would appear that they have performed with a reasonable of with honesty, and in most cases -- particularly in recent years -- level competence. Nevertheless, it is always Frossible to identify areas where more attention should have been focused. Two such areas which have become critically important are (i) 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) Pooks on the radioactive contamination of Enewetok, Bikini and the northern atolls have been almost - totally x- ineffective, and in some