100 



because one lives near a selected military target or strategic 

 site, it is every man, woman, child, animal, and plant in every 

 community, river, and region of the north. 



If radioactive materials are released from the Chernobyl 

 area, during clean-up or as may be happening as this letter is 

 written due to a forest fire that is burning contaminated 

 regions, the fallout is very likely to sweep across the Arctic 

 and precipitate on our North Slope. Meanwhile if nuclear 

 reactors go off line, be they on land or in vessels, along the 

 eastern coastal areas of Russia then the atmospheric and ocean 

 contamination will sweep across the Bering Strait and into 

 western Alaska within a very short time. 



The citizens of this state must be protected. The first 

 line of defense is monitoring for the types of events I have just 

 mentioned. That monitoring must be completed with an evaluation 

 by health specialists and other scientists to make a risk 

 assessment of the event. Then the public must be notified of 

 that risk and informed on how best to behave in order to maintain 

 their health. The Alaska Health Project is ready to make our 

 services available in such a situation, however we must know in 

 advance that we, and others of the health care community, are 

 going to be integrally networked with any monitoring system that 

 is proposed. 



As the threat to the general population is no longer 

 military in focus we believe that the Community Right To Know Law 

 comes into effect. We believe that any monitoring scheme that is 

 implemented be interfaced closely with the SERC and those Local 

 Emergency Planning Committees who are planning the response to 

 potential releases of hazardous materials. We also believe that 

 there must be involvement of health scientists. Arctic health 

 science research has already been provided guidelines on how to 

 perform their work and provide information back to the impacted 

 communities from the American Public Health Association. (Copies 

 of that policy are enclosed) 



I appreciate this opportunity to provide testimony to this 

 committee. I am willing to work with any group that may be 

 formed to address how best to keep the public informed on the 

 results of the monitoring of radioactive materials in the Arctic 

 and the risks to health which may result in any release. 



Sincerely, 



Carl M. Hild, M.S. Sci. Mgnt. 

 Executive Director 



and SERC Menl>er 



Enclosure: AHPA AHSRP 

 cc : SERC 



