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Federal Register / Vol. 45, No. 56 / Thursday, March 20, 1980 / Presidential Documents

1-207. The Committee shall evaluate the progress being made in improving public information on nuclear safety and shall evaluate the progress of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in coordinating any Federal response to potential nuclear emergencies.

1-208. To the extent the Committee deems it necessary to carry out its other functions, the Committee shall monitor the activities of Federal and State agencies and the nuclear power industry.

1-209. The Committee shall enter into agreements with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, the Department of Energy, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and other Federal agencies, as well as State agencies and the nuclear power industry on procedures for obtaining the information necessary to monitor their activities and to carry out the Committee's advisory functions.

1-210. The Committee shall include in its reports the Committee's advice as to the adequacy of the information it has received from Federal and State agencies and from the nuclear power industry; and, its assessment of the cooperation it has received from them.

1-211. The Committee shall prepare and transmit to the President, as soon as possible, a report on the progress of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and of the nuclear utilities in upgrading the selection criteria and the training of utility operating personnel. The Committee shall report to the President its other findings, evaluations, and recommendations from time to time as it deems appropriate, but in any event, at least once a year.

1-3. Administrative Provisions.

1-301. The Chairman of the Committee is authorized to appoint and fix the compensation of a staff of such persons as may be necessary to discharge the Committee's responsibilities, subject to the applicable provisions of law, including the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, and Title 5 of the United States Code.

1-302. To the extent authorized by law and requested by the Chairman of the Committee, the General Services Administration shall provide the Committee with necessary administrative services, facilities, and support on a reimbursable basis.

1-303. The Department of Energy and the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare shall, to the extent permitted by law and subject to the availability of funds, provide the Committee with such facilities, support, funds and services, as may be necessary for the effective performance of the Committee's functions.

1-304. The Committee may request any Executive agency to furnish such information, advice or assistance it deems necessary to carry out its functions. Each agency shall, to the extent permitted by law and subject to the availability of funds, furnish the information, advice or assistance requested by the Chairman of the Committee.

1-305. Each member of the Committee may receive compensation at the maximum rate now or hereafter prescribed by law for each day such member is engaged in the work of the Committee (5 U.S.C. 3109 and rules pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended). Each member may also receive travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence (5 U.S.C. 5702 and 5703).

1-4. General Provisions.

1-401. The functions of the President under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, which are applicable to the Committee, except that of reporting annually to the Congress, shall be performed by the Administrator of General Services.

1-402. The Committee shall terminate on September 30, 1980.

Timmy Carter

[FR Doc. 80-8808
Filed 3-19-80; 11:10 am]

Billing code 3195-01-M

THE WHITE HOUSE,
March 18, 1980.

SUBJECT:

The Secretary
Through US
ES

ASH

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARI

PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

APR - 1930

DATE:

Donald S. Fredrickson, M.D. vs Zuedwicken

Director, NIH

Submission of Report: "Effects of Nuclear Weapons Testing on Health"

I am pleased to transmit the attached report. It is the final report
of the Panel of Experts that reviewed the Archives of Public Health
Service documents relating to radioactive fallout from nuclear weapons
testing.

The Panel was asked to examine over 400,000 relevant documents culled
from the Archives of the Department. These were in large measure
unpublished reports and memoranda of PHS activities during the period
between 1950 and 1979.

The purpose of the study was to determine whether the files provided
significant hitherto unknown or unpublished data relevant to establishing
the health effects of low level ionizing radiation. In making this
analysis, the Panel was instructed to determine whether the information
in the files provided grounds for recommending new lines of research
or pointed to studies that would enlarge our knowledge of radiation
effects on health.

The Panel has completed a most comprehensive review; evaluated the
documents provided; reported that no knowledge of potential scientific
importance was contained in the Archives; and made recommendations with
respect to research on the occurrence of malignancies in the exposed
population and a retrospective study of human dosimetry.

Let me now address the matter of the Recommendation of the Panel of
Experts.

Recommendation No. 1 suggests initiation of certain studies of the
population in the area adjacent to the Nevada Test Site.

The Bureau of Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration has initiated studies to determine whether there is reason to reopen the thyroid studies and the Center for Disease Control has provided resources

to assist in this evaluation and specifically to determine whether the Family Geneology Records of the Church of Latter Day Saints can be used to locate the individuals studied in 1965.

The Center for Disease Control has in force a contract with the University of Utah to support pilot studies on prevalence of cancers in general and leukemia in particular among the exposed population. This contract, originally for $250,000, has recently been extended and an additional sum of $19,000 has been made available. The University of Utah has indicated an intention of seeking additional support for these studies through grants at the time the contract funds have been spent.

The Interagency Radiation Research Committee, successor to the Committee on Federal Research Into the Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation, will review any requests for grant funds related to research on these questions.

Recommendation No. 2 suggests a reassessment of exposure of the off site population by reevaluation of dosimetry. The Department of Energy is currently engaged in such a project and has provided $4 million for the effort.

In addition, the University of Utah has, as part of a larger program in radiation research, expressed the intention of doing an independent study of dosimetry. This study also may need grant support and if it is submitted to the NIH, it will be evaluated by the Interagency Radiation Research Committee.

Recommendation No. 3 addresses the need for creating a central archive of data relating to the weapons testing program. We assume that the Panel intended to include those documents that relate to health issues since it would appear inconsistent with normal procedure to make information on military evaluation of nuclear weapons part of a public archive.

The Department of Energy is in the process of creating such an archive of declassified documents and placing them in Los Alamos, New Mexico. In addition, the University of Utah has proposed creating an archive of those Public Health Service documents reviewed by the Panel. University would supervise and manage the facility. We understand that a request for support of this effort is to be made to the Federal government.

The

Recommendation No. 4 entails preparation of a "White Paper" containing a comprehensive description of all activities relating to the evaluation of health effects of the weapons testing program from 1945 to the present. This would encompass activities across the Federal government. It would appear that a decision on this matter lies outside the Office of the Secretary, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and properly should be made in the White House. The effort would require coordination among at least three major Departments (HEW, DOE, and DOD) and probably independent agencies such as EPA, and NRC, and a need for guidance on the release of documents still considered restricted. We feel that no independent action on this matter can or should be undertaken by the Department.