National Laboratory on the affected Marshallese.

While the servicemen on Rongerik

Atoll do not fall under the Brookhaven charter, they do obtain limited mention in
Brookhaven reports

with respect to the consistency of external dose estimates.

Moreover, the internal dose methodologies for the two groups are perforce similar, as
the underlying data are related.

Consequently, as the current Brookhaven report

(Reference 19) provides a synthesis of earlier work, it affords the best available
comparison with this analysis.
EXTERNAL DOSE
Previous studies have the following features in common for dose estimates to the

servicemen on Rongerik: doses are based on free-field intensities, are reported as air
exposure (R), and thus are non-specific as to individual's activities.

These estimates

have recently been referred to in terms of rad or rem, which further blurs the

distinction between them and the calculated film badge doses that are presented in
this report.

Thus, the previous estimates, which are generally in the range of 70-

100 R, would correspond to about 50-70 rem with the use of the 0.7 rem/R film badge

conversion factor.

With the inclusion of the protection factor of about 2 for time

indoors, the estimates would be reduced further and adequately correspond to the
present results.

Earlier reports displayed no interest in arriving at individualized

estimates; it is not even clear that the 1950's researchers had access to the full range

of then-classified information that would have been required for such estimates.
Reference 19 lists along with its current estimates of whole body external doses
to the Marshallese a corresponding value for Rongerik, 81 rad.

While this value is

useful for.comparing doses. for various Marshallese situations, it does not apply to the
servicemen.

The value was treated as if it were the whole body dose and thus

additive, without adjustment, to an internal dose in rem.

This was done for the

Marshallese to arrive at total thyroid doses. The 81 rad was arrived at by application
of a Marshallese living-style factor to an estimate of integrated intensity in free air.

No consideration was given to the substantially greater shielding of the Rongerik
servicemen (Reference 22).

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