' -i - · '-'• ' ' • • h-J C 'I r' I OJJ1ice J Ae1 1zora1zdu11z • UNITED sTATEs GovERNMENT TO Dr John c Bueher H D Director Division of Biology and Medicine FROM Gordon N Dunning Heal th Physicist l Jfl f -Biophysics Branch Division of Biology and Uedicine SUBJECT SUGG SSTED AtS-JEPS TO QlJ SSTIONS RAISED BY STATE DEPARTLENT Sl1 B0L 3LBP Gr JJ DATE May 20 1954 411537 BEST COPY AVAILABLE- 3elo·n are r ty 12 __ estions t'lat r1ie ht be 1Jscd as a b J sis for ans · ering the questions r ised by the State Dep3 rtJ 1Gnt re ccmsequences of the -t ests at t11e facific Proving Gro1Jnd Q1 12stion 2 Does the Ad1Ilinistering Authority feel satisfied that there will be no long-run effects on t '- te in riabi tants 0i ther physical or psychological from these enonnously destructive devices ll 11 It is expected t ½at there will be no deleterious long-run effecb on the physical well-being of the native inhabitants Triis is 'r 2 sed oc1 e ood estirc ates of ext0rnal radiation doses as 'ell 2 s on t'-ie body burden of the in osted and or inhaled fi s si 011 products - r ·- ··-- I 2 m n Jt qualified to spea 1 of psycholoe ical er'fects except to point out foat t' o points maybe made 1 a The natives were apparently satisfied with their treatr ent and living conditions at Kwajalein and with the announced plans to restock their islands b Possibly their greatest unc·ertainty is in their rninds the uncertainty of return to their home islands despite reassurances - I For your infoffation I have made the following estimates based on urinalysis reports from L SL Radi oi so top e Percentage of Maximum Permissible BodyBurden Present at Time of Sampling rJ10% 50% 40% - rl% ' It is to be re ie ibered that the body burden rueasured was at U1e tine of urine collection and wiV1 the possible exception of Pu will be significantly reduced in the ensuing months while the naximum perniissible body burden is based on the concept that the qASSIFICATION CANCELED _ _ _ _ _· Lcontinued DOINBIDECLASSIFDTIONREVIEWE 0 • 1W SEAND GAMAG DOE NN-623 on next pagef Dr John·c Bu her Quest on 4 b May 20 - 2 - 11 How much land was in any Yray damaged 1954 Yfna t was the extent and kind of damage 11 •I 'Ihere was no land damaged outside the test a r e fallout that occurred did not damaee foe land i ' e sense that it could not be reinhabited or could not e used for a ric·ult 1ral purs ii ts Except for possibly the 1min112 bi ted nortt rn is18 c1s of ' 'on1 el ci p Atoll all of the isl2nds co1jld be rc-e nte ·red t afcly in the near f ture by personnel -rho b d not pi-c vi01 sly c pcrienccd sit nificant r c diation e xpos1-res Since the i nd icenous inhabitants have already recd ' e d some r di tion expos 1re it has been cee1 1Ed v i se not to al1cw them to rcturntuntil the activity has decayed to an ins i cn i ficc nt level The ar Qount of activity in the soil cloes not constitute a azard to t ½e e rowth and cdibili -Ly of plant jfeo y f t v k Question 4 c 11 ' h2 t was the extent of sea area including laeoons and surro inding open sea contarnina t ed or ot 17 enrise aff ctc•d Yi11a t - · e re the effects How lasting are tb P y -Nill any c rcas rcqnire cEcon c n i r1ation Is there my T ay of doing this 11 Ans - er 1 J nsaer The a ' vv nt of activity in the Bi-0ni and Eni · -etok lagoons ' ro1 ld rr 2 ke it w1xi2 e to cat fish from these - - a tcrs vri t 'lout r Jnit ' cing first 2 t le c 3t for the prc ont The activity in the o fo er l2c oons 2nd in the open sea is so 51i' aJ l that no delr tc rious effects r ay be expected to the fish thcmselvc s nor will the edibility of foe f i sh be ir paired No se a areas need deconta 'Uination Certain land areas 'igh t be covered with an inactive r a t erial such as dirt but this procedure is not recoTu ITJended nor is i t really nece sary since the activity on practically all of the islar1ds will be at a very low level in a few months Z ootnote continued from previous pagif a wou nt of activity in the body i 11 rer ain constant due to equilibrium conditions 1' i th intake of activity Also to be considered is the fact at the calculated beta dose to i he thyroid was about 200-500 reps 7 - 3- Dr John C Bugher ues l __ _4__ Ans ·er I ray 20 1954 many persons T ere injured How rr any vrnre indigenous inhabitants 1111at steps were taken to treat and othenrise assist them 1 ' hat is their prese i t conoit Lon 11 11 lfow Sixty-four natives 1· ere evacuated from Rongelap 18 from Jdhnzinae and 154 fro 1 Ubrik Of these about 40 natives from flor 0 eJ ap · c• ed bct-3 radiation burns principally on -their sc2lps and necks 1 carly all of iJ 1 cse berns have l eal 'd lc i ving no per 2ne rrt arks Sorne JO natives also suffe1 ·cd lo s of hair in sr all patches - · 1 i ch is expected to be follo rnd by retro- -1U1 of norm al hair 0 A1 1 of foe na ti V8 s 1 ere ir edia tely evacuated to Ywajalein Ircre they were given a thoroue-h medical exarrj_n2 tion including blood counts They have been kept mder constant survejJJance by an Atomic Energy Comnisdon-Deparh ent of D tense team of ir edical c _ pc rts In adcli tion to the best of r cclical c2 re the natives · ere 1· ell pro- icled for in t -e c 1 of food clothir i s 1 lirr i 1d 1'C'cn tion 0 'fr crE is evt ry rc2 son to believe that the natives will not sustdn any pcrcctncnt r2 dia tion injury C c1 _ _3_ 5 1 5 An srrer ' fuere was no land area outside of the Bikini and Eniwetok Atolls that was destroyed or rendered useless of arry agricultural or econo ic value Qeestio _S h Ansaer Jas the l nd ar ·a - hjch W '1S destroyed or rendered useless of _ny a2 ric1 1ltural or econorric value and if so does the Ad_rn inist ering Authority plan to compensate the ovmers or 11sers How 11 To the extent that marine life an important source of food ms contaminated has any compensation or assist3nce to the in ½abitants affected been underta 1 en or pl2nned 11 11 The same ansNer applies here as to Question 4 c · ' l -··• Dr John C Dus ier - 4- 1 1ay 20 1954 Second_ Sectfor Question 5 11 Did any notified ion include the UN 112 s any kind of mJ 2 ppr0val dcerred necessary sou ht or o1Jtained Presmning there is a right to clo3e larGe danger areas of this kind does bis ri t include the rig rit to contamnate in tsrn c tion i l 1· a tcrs and 11 ar·ine life 11 I ll cve no co cnt h• re except to point out t 1at the cont - _1• tnat-1 n of t' 1c · ' tr rs 01-1t ·ide of l_ -te ih_ J8dj_ate lagoon 1 s L D ins i_ nific 0mt in tE n s of hc _l th hazard DISTRIBUTION cy 1A - addressee 2A - Col Nornan Greenberg 3A I r Dunning ii A - P iopLysics Dranch R -H 5 6 7 A - 'i -J Files -