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Mururoa Nuclear Veterans Group Reply to Radiation Report

Mururoa Nuclear Veterans Group Reply to Radiation Report

The Mururoa Nuclear Veterans Group (MNVG Inc) has unequivocally rejected the findings of last year’s report commissioned by Veteran Affairs and undertaken by Crown research agency Environmental Science and Research Ltd (ESR) which was released in October 2015.

After a year long consultation with Mururoa veterans, a reply to the ESR authored “The Pilaster Deployment: A Radiological Review” report has been compiled and sent to the Right Honourable Craig Foss, Minister of Veterans Affairs, the Right Honourable Phil Goff, Labour Spokesperson on Veterans Affairs and Jackie Couchman, Head of Veterans Affairs New Zealand.

As stated in the reply, “The majority of the members of the MNVG … do not believe the Minister’s issues which are outlined in a letter to (former President) Wayne O’Donnell dated 26 August 2015 have been met and the report severely clouds the areas of concern”.

Further to this, the group believes “there was nothing positive in the review and gives the impression it was a hasty attempt at gathering information together to convince the Minister that all is well in Mururoa”.

MNVG are not convinced that continual exposure to atmospheric testing on the atoll and the surrounding area did not leave a lasting impact that the crews of the HMNZS Otago and Canterbury were exposed too.

Some of the concerns that the group have about the ESR report including the following: - the apparent disregard to the issue of seawater contamination. Of the 52 page ESR report only 2 pages focussed on this issue. This, in our view, is disappointing as seawater contamination was the basis for our original request to the minister.

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- the lack of sources used. Specialist oncologists, Navigation experts, the Operation Grapple Report authored by Professor Al Rowland, and members of the Mururoa Nuclear Veterans Group were all neglected when seeking information. There was an over emphasis on the original 1973 report, which is dated and fails to take into account the 40+ years of scientific research that has occurred since the Otago and Canterbury were at Mururoa.

- the lack of use of formerly classified French military records (released in 2013) that indicate that the yields of the nuclear tests witnessed by both the Otago and the Canterbury were higher than has been previously estimated.

- the age of the monitoring equipment. It is the understanding of the MNVG that some of the equipment was over 30 years old and some was used during Operation Grapple.

- the lack of any mention of psychological effects of perceived radiation exposure on veterans and their families.

In early 2015, Minister of Veterans Affairs Craig Foss commented to the group to show him the evidence and he would act on it. The Mururoa Nuclear Veterans Group believes that in their reply to the Pilaster Deployment Review we have supplied information and raised significant questions which, in our view, constitute further investigation.

The New Zealand Government sent the HMNZS Otago and the HMNZS Canterbury to Mururoa on behalf of the New Zealand people. The New Zealand Government has a Duty of Care to those who served on those ships. The Mururoa Nuclear Veterans Group therefore call upon the minister to set up an investigation into the effects of radiation exposure on the crews of the Otago and Canterbury, incorporating a broad range of sources with qualified individuals in all fields. The group further requests that representation from the Mururoa Nuclear Veterans Group be incorporated in the investigation.

24th July 2016

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