From: PATBNAAV@aol.com To: haroldw@kih.net Subject: Enewetak cleanup Date: Friday, November 06, 1998 The following is a copy of a letter Re: a gentleman exposed to radioactive debris during the cleanup of Enewetak in the late 1970s: April 27, 1997 To Whom it May Concern:

Runit Dome

Mr. __________ is a veteran who participated in the cleanup of Enewetak atoll during the late 1970s. He ran heavy equipment that generated dust that contained radioactive isotopes such as isotopes of plutonium, cobalt, and strontium. Many of these isotopes have half-lives that extend for thousands of years. Once inhaled, these particles can be picked up by specialized cells in the lungs called macrophages, and have long residence times in the lymph nodes. Radioactivity is also deposited in the bones. The long-term health risk from exposure of this nature would seem to be lung cancer, given his dust exposure. To assess this risk exposure reconstruction would be useful.

I will be following him in my Pulmonary Clinic and monitoring his medical condition. Based on his occupational history, it seems reasonable to recognize his duties during the military and accord him the benefits of those who worked under hazardous conditions associated with radiation exposure. It also would be reasonable to refer him to a specialist who can reconstruct the dose of radiation he received. Finally, it would be useful to estimate his exposure by using a wholebody counter that measures actinide elements rather than conventional counters that detect only cesium. My understanding is that this is available. The results of this test may be reassuring to him, or may help to estimate past exposure and quantitate health risk.

Sincerely yours,
Eric Garashick, M.D., M.O.H.
Pulmonary Section
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School

The above letter was written on Department of Veterans Affairs, Medical Center letterhead, VA Medical Center 940 Belmont St., Brockton, MA 02401 (508) 583-4500.

I am forwarding this on your website to perhaps educate some of your readers to the dangers of radionuclide inhalation of small particles (less than 5 microns) scattered around the Enewetak Atoll. For more information regarding the cleanup of Enewetak please contact Bechtel Nevada, Jeff Gordon, (702) 295 1623 and request a printout of the documents regarding the cleanup of Enewetak during the 1970s. You may also research the OPENNET (URL listed below.)

"The soil was scraped off the surface of Enewetak and deposited into the crater of an atomic bomb. A huge concrete dome had been built to seal this hell. Runit is one of the most radioactive places in the world, for the next 24,000 years it is not allowed to enter the dome." (This was downloaded from the net. It shows the mayor of Enewetak with his companion on the dome of Runit.) "This dome is now about 15 years old and shall hopefully shut tightly for the next 23,985 years..."

Caio,
Pat Broudy
Legislative Director,
National Association of Atomic Veterans

Editor's note: Here are three database addresses to search for more information.

HREX
http://hrex.dis.anl.gov

OpenNet Declassified Information Database (V2)
http://www.osti.gov/waisgate/opennet.new.html

IHP Marshall Islands Program
http://tis-nt.eh.doe.gov/ihp/marsh/marshall.htm

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