It was determined that the radiation consisted primarily of gamma and
beta rays of various energies.
The beta radiation was of low energy and
failed to penetrate deeply into the skin layer and was the cause of the
superficial burns seen on the Rongelap people.
Doses of this radiation ranged
from 2000 rads at the feet to 300 rads atthe head. Gamma radiation on the
other hand is a high energy form that could penetrate the entire body. Dosage
estimates for the gamma dose are 175 rads at Rongelap.
69 rads at Ailingnae
and 14 rads at Utirik. Athird source of exposure was that of the internal
absorption of various radioisotopes from inhalation of the fallout and ingestion
of contaminated food and water. These figures have been more difficult to
determine. Various parts of the body were exposeJ to varying degrees of all
these radiation sources.
The thyroid gland, for example, received both gamma
and internal radioisotope exposure. Estimates on the dose received by the
thyroid gland of people at Rongelap range from 220 to 450 rads for adults, to
700 to 1400 rads for children. For the people at Ailingnae and Utirik, the
thyroid dosages for adults were estimated to be 135 rads and 27 rads respectively.
A detailed explanation of the dose assessment can be found in the 20 year
report. ("A Twenty Year Review of Medical Findings in a Marshallese Population
Accidentally Exposed to Radioactive Fallout",
Robert A. Conard, M.D., etal,
Brookhaven National Laboratory, 1975).
Following their evacuation from Rongelap and Ailingnae in 1954,
residual radiation contamination prevented the people from returning to their
home island until 1957. As part of the resettlement, the village was
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Commission. The people of Utirik were permitted to return to their island
within six months after the explosion when it was determined that the radiation
was at safe levels for habitation. The Bikini people were removed from
their atoll in 1946 in order to provide the United States with a nuclear testing
site.
It was not until the early 1970's, aftera 12 year absence of testing,
a massive clean up operation, and environmental studies of the residual
radiation, were the people allowed to begin to return to their island.
Since 1957, a yearly medical surveillance program for the Rongelap
people and a tri-yearly medical evaluation of the people of Utirik have been
carried out by scientists and physicians of Brookhaven National Laboratory
under the direction of Robert Conard, M.D. In 1973, a Brookhaven physician,
Knud Knudson, M.D., was stationed in the Marshall Islands as a result of the
peoples’ insistence on better medical evaluations. As a result of this insistence,
medical surveys were increased to quarterly trips with yearly complete examinazticns
at Rongelap, still tri-yearly examinations at Utirik and bi-yearly hematologic
surveys.
The increased frequency of visits was also prompted by the death
of a young Rongelapese man, exposed in 1954, from acute myelogenous
leukemia attributed to the radiation effects.
My association with the program began in June 1975 when I became
the resident physician in the Marshall Islands. During my 14 montns of work,
many hours of discussions were had with groups of people from each atoll
regarding the survey's work.
What was found was a major difference in
people perceived as their needs and how the
the
what
between
expectations
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