The assessment of radiation exposures in native American communities from nuclear weapons testing in Nevada

Native Americans residing in a broad region downwind from the Nevada Test S ite during the 1950s and 1960s received significant radiation exposures fro m nuclear weapons testing. Because of differences in diet, activities, and housing, their radiation exposures are only very imperfectly represented in the Department of Energy dose reconstructions. There are important missing pathways, including exposures to radioactive iodine from eating small game . The dose reconstruction model assumptions about cattle feeding practices across a year are unlikely to apply to the native communities as are other model assumptions about diet. Thus exposures Rom drinking milk and eating v egetables have not yet been properly estimated for these communities. Throu gh consultations with members of the affected communities, these deficienci es could be corrected and the dose reconstruction extended to Native Americ ans. An illustration of the feasibility of extending the dose reconstructio n is provided by a sample calculation to estimate radiation exposures to th e thyroid from eating radio-iodine-contaminated rabbit thyroids after the S edan test. The illustration is continued with a discussion of how the calcu lation results may be used to make estimates for other tests and other loca tions.