Becauseliving conditions deteriorated further
the United States instituted small trust funds.
For the Bikinians, the trust fund yielded semi-annual
interest payments of approximately $15 per person.
jier showed a marked increase in the
were S to 6 times higher than ex-
suffered radiation exposure until
amount of radioactive nuclides in the pected.
people s bodies. These tests show
that tne Bikinians were ingesting
Throughout the rehabilitation of
higher than acceptable concentra- Bikini, the Energy Research and
they returned to their radioactive tsland atter 25 years. Now the Biki-
from the water und from food grown
in the island's contaminated soil.
many ot whom have now retumed to
their home atoll to work with
thousands of U.S. army soldiers in
trons of cancer-causing radiation
The U.S. government then began
importing all food (except localfish.
which was declared safe) and dnnk
to Bikini. This food program has
compounded the Bikint dilemma:
While the Bikinians have been told
that the island ts radioactive and po-
tentiaily dangerous. the prospect of
tree food and housing and a chance
to move trom Kili—called the
“prison bv residents—has encouraged peuple to return.
In eurtvy 1978. the Energy Research ind Development Association considered moving the people to
another island in Bikini Atoll—
Eneu—.and was growing fruits and
Vegetadles in an experimental garden
to test radioactivity levels there. Results trom these experiments, however, werent expected for about a
year.
According to a careful report in
the Los Angeles Times. by February
1978 it was official governmentpol-
icy: Bikini was unfit for people to
live on. Nevertheless. in Apnl, Trust
Territery officials, testifying at a
congressional hearing on funding for
re-estaodlishing the Bikinians on
Eneu Island, insisted that the people
could remain on Bikiniwithour hurm
untul the expenments on Eneu were
completed in January !979—provided that they didn't eat any
coconuts, and that the coming medi-
cal tests showed. as was expected,
no large increases in internal radiauon levels.
In the April 1978 medical examina-
tions. however. the Bikinians’ internal radiation levels ranged up to
Development Association and the
Department of Energy had conducted countless radiological sur-
vevs of the island—-many of which
may be the only global source of data
on humans where intake via inges-
tion is thought to contribute the
major traction of plutonium body
burden. ~
A 1976 Lawrence Livermore Lab-
agencies treatment of the Marshallese, their situation 1s not apt to
change.
From the nuclear bomb tests at
Bikini and Enewetak to the medical
treatmentof the irradiated islanders.
oratory scientist stated that Bikini
“is possibly the best avatiable
source of data for evaluating the
the 30 years of American trusteeship
has brought the Marshallese anv-
wall after being incorporated into
biological svstems.
Government scientists vehe-
Conard. Robert A.. M.D., et al. A Tuenre
Year Review ot Medical Findings in a Murshallese Population Accidentally Exposed
Marshallese tor experimentation. A
partment of Commerce. 1975: available
from Nauonal Technical Information Ser-
transter of piutonium across the gut
mently deny they have used the
DOE official explained. “It was done
by technical tvpes anxious to know
about the transfer of radioactive elements.
Intenor Department officials announced in Mav 1978 that the atoll
thing but the conditions promised in
the U.N. trust agreement.7c
to Radivactive Fullout, Brookhaven National Laboratory. Washington. D.C.: De-
vice.
Coneress of Micronesia Special Joint Cummittee Concerning Ronyelap and tirtk:
1973 Report. Kolonia, Ponape 9694i: The
Congress.
Detroit Free Press. Sept. 2. 1978.
would be evacuated within 90 days.
Gensuikin (Japan) Medicul Survey Team. Re-
land. In Jate August. Interior repre-
bv the Bikini Avdrogen Bomb Test to the
Peopte of the Marshall Islands. rev. ed.:
and the people returned to Kili Is-
porton the Investigation of Damage Done
sentalives went to Bikini to super-
Tokvo. Japan: Gensuikin, 4th fl.. Akimoto
Bldg..
2-19 Tsukasa-Che.
Kanda.
vise the evacuation, in many ways
reminiscent of the 1946 removal.
“There are some things we didn't
feel good about.” said Taro
Lokebal. who serves as liaison be-
tween the Bikini Council and the
United States. ““The (U.S.) High
Commissioner made the people
rush....
Some things were left
behind—pigs. chickens, lumber. We
had to have our ceremony on the
ship. [t was supposed to be on the
Though the Bikinians. like the
Enewetakese. suffered the devastat-
showed that radioactivity levels
even near starvation, they had never
Eneu Island
holds for the Enewetak people—
the massive nuclear debmis cleanup.
Until the scientific community and
A recent study for the Department of independent organizations begin cnitEnergy concluded that **Bikim Atoll ically to monitor U.S. government
suggest the Bikinians were unwitting
subjects tor scientific radiation tests.
0.980. or nearly merce the U.S.
maximum safetv standard of 0.5
rems. At the same time. the preliminary results from the experi-
mental garden at
nians are an exposed population.
too. And who knows whatthe future
shore but Wwe had no time.”
ing physical and psvchological ef-
fects of relocation and, at times.
Chiyoda-ku. Tokyo. 1973.
Honolulu Advertiser. Oct. 10. 1978: June 16.
20. 21. and 22, 1977; March 19, 1978. July
30, 1978.
International Herald Tribune. April 19, 1978.
Kiste. Robert C. The Bikinians: A Study in
Forced Migration. Mento Park, Ca.: Cum-
mings Publishing Co., 1974.
Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. Dose As-
sessment at Bikint Atoll. UCRL-51879 PLS.
Washington. D.C.: Department of Commerce. June. 8. 1977: available from National Technical [nformation Service.
Los Angeles Times. June il, 1977.
McHenry. Donaid F. Micronesia. Trust Be-
traved. Washington, D.C.: Camegie Endowment for Internation:i Peace. i978,
Micronesian Independent. Sept. 12. !975.
New York Times. March 23, 1978.
Washington Post. March 23 and 27. 1978:
Apri 3, 1978,
February 1979
The Bulletin 15