a
8.
*
4
-5-"
‘
“We request that when called to Majuro or Ebeye by the
BLN. L. team that the patient will receive an adequate
per-diem to cover all of his living expenses during his:
stay."
The health bill which covers this request is now being negotiated in
Washington between the Trust Territory, Departmence of the Interior and
the AEC.
[I cannot comment on this further since I do not have more
information.
9.
“We would Like to know for how much Longer does the B. N. L.
team plan to continue their experiments on Rongelap.”
I do not know how long it will be necessary for us to carry out the
examinations for the people of Rongelap.
These examinations should not
be called experiments.
In no way have we carried out experiments on the
people. We carried out only medical examinations and treatment.
In {964
before the thyroid troubles developed in the Rongelap people we found
nothing of great importance wrong with the Rongelap people. At that time
some people in the Marshall Islands and even some American doctors said
"Why do. you continue to examine the Rongelap people since you are not
finding anything?"
If we had stopped examining the Rongelap people at
that time many people would have gotten sick from thyroid troubles chat
developed later, which would not have been discovered, and would not have
been treated, We examine your blood twice a year to be sure that no one
is developing Leukemia, such as Lekoj died of.
I would like, however, to
reassure the people that it is very unlikely that any other cases of
leukemia will develop since we know that we have passed the period where
we would any longer expect this disease from radiation exposure.
I hope
you understand therefore tnat these examinations must cuncitiue siuce we
can never be certain that other things may not develop in the exposed
Rongelap pegople.
10.
"We request that the A, E. C. find some way of ridding our
cocoanut crabs of radioactivity or of replacing them with
new and clean crabs, as they are a very important part of
our diet.”
I would Like for Mr. Greenhouse to answer this question for you.
(Remarks
by Mr. Greenhouse:
There is no way known to rid the coconut crabs of
tadioactivity; however, it will eventually disappear through natural
processes. Also, there is no practical way to replace the radioactive
crabs with clean ones since nobody could be sure that all of the radioactive crabs had been found.
The people had also expressed concern about eating other
foods on
the island.
I would Like to assure you that there is no need for concern.
There are small amounts of radioactivity in all foods, even in the United
States.
This is due to natural radioactivity, and to world-wide fallout.