Premise: The Government of the Marshall Islands resolves that the
People of Enewetak may not resettle Enewcetak Atoll because of unacceptable
risks from residual radioactivity and contamination.
Response:
The Enewetak Radiological cleanup has been accomplished to a
degree which will allow for safe habitation of the atoll within the
restrictions specified by the United States in the Environmental Impact
Statement and accepted by the People of Enewetak prior to the beginning
of the radiological cleanup. Generally, the resettlement of Enewetak
Atoll will only be constrained to the extent that expected dose from
radiation will be limited to levels comparable to natural background
radiation in many parts of the world. The restrictions on habitation
provide for:
(1) dwellings only on southern islands of the atoll; (2)
no deliberate cultivation of food on any northern island except for
coconuts on ten specific northern islands; (3) no consumption of coconut
crabs or use of well water from any northern island; and, (4) no visits
to one northern island (Runit}. Thus, the lifestyle to be followed by
resettlers is predominantly oriented toward the southern islands where
radioactivity is least abundant. The restricted lifestyle is not without
sose increase in radiation dose and its associated risk; however, the
risks are considered to be quite small. Every person, including the
people of Pnewetak, receive some radiation dose due to natural radiation,
and this would have occurred at Enewetak even if there had been no
nuclear weapons testing program. The US National Council on Radiation
Protection and Measurements (NCRP) has estimated dose equivalent rates
to man in the US as follows: 0.055 rem per year to the whole body from
exposure to natural radiation external to the body, and 0.115 rem per
year to bone fron exposure to natural radioactivty in the body as well
as radiation external to the body. These "natural" dose rate equivalents
are also reasonable estimates for background radiation at Enewetak
Atoll, exclusive of the man-made radiation.
As presented in the EIS, the residual radioactivity throughout the atoll
is predicted to cause the peak dose equivalent rate of the average
resettler on the atoll to increase by 0.020 rem per year to the whole
body and 0.285 rem per year to bone.
About 40 percent of each estimated
Tate is attributed te the consumption of
islands. However, a recent reevaluation
that coconut consumption is considerably
Accordingly, the dose rates above may be
coconuts grown on the northern
of the Enewetak diet indicates
less than previously assumed.
overestimated. Nevertheless,
based on the cumulative natural" and "residual radioactivity’ dose
rates, persons following the planned lifestyle for Enewetak may receive
up to not more than three times the dose they would otherwise receive
from nature.
The NCRP recommends the dose equivalent rate to whole body for the
population (US) as a whole from all sources of radiation other than
natural radiation and radiation from the healing arts shall not exceed
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Q.
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