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

Select target paragraph3