Radiation doses and cancerrisks in the Marshall Islands @ S. L. Simon ET AL.

Taka, and Taongi) or because the residents were relo-

cated for safety reasons (Bikini and Enewetak) or evac-

uated due to unexpected exposures (Ailinginae,
Rongelap, Rongerik, Utrik). Thus, radiation doses were
estimated for 26 population groups, including the residents of the 23 atolls and islands that were inhabited
during the years of nuclear testing (Table 2), and three
other groups: persons from Rongelap who were on

Ailinginae at the time of the Bravo test, persons from

Rongelap who were visiting the southern atolls at the
time of the Bravotest, and U.S. military weather observ-

ers on Rongerik. For the consideration of cancerrisks,

109

only the 25 Marshallese population groups were considered. Both the dose and cancerrisk assessment explicitly
included members of the six Marshallese groups that
were relocated or evacuated during the testing period: (1)
64 persons evacuated from Rongelap Atoll after the
Bravotest; (2) 18 persons from Rongelap evacuated from
Ailinginae Atoll after the Bravo test; (3) 117 persons

from Rongelap who werevisiting the southern atolls at

the time of the Bravotest; (4) 157 persons from Utrik

Atoll evacuated after the Bravo test; and the populations
that normally resided on (5) Enewetak Atoll and (6)

Bikini Atoll but who had been relocated to Ujelang Atoll

Table 2. Populations* of the atolls and separate islands of the Marshall Islands over 45 y and population groups for
which doses were estimated in this study.
Doses computed
for resident
populations

1935

Ailinginae®

—

na

Ailinglaplap

Sf

na

Atoll/Island

Ailuk
Arno
Aur
Bikar
Bikini
Ebon
Erikub
Enewetak
Jabat
Jaluit

Jv
Jv
Jv
—
—
Jv
—
—
—

1958
—

1967
—

1,288

na
—

419
1,037
241
—
—
819
—
—
—

1,195

1,113

na
na
na
—
na
na

384
1,273
361
—
—
836
—
—
—

1973
—

925

1,450

—
6,624

335
1,120
300
—
75
740
—
—
70

—
na

na

1,098

267

309

—
360

Knox
Kwajalein®

—
Sf

—
na

—
1,284

—
3,540

—
5,469

na
na
na
na
na
na
na
na
na
na
—
—
—
na
na
na
na
na
—
10,446

165
44
636
3,415
454
346
412
523
482
264
—
—
—
167
172
198
71
361
—
14,163

131
142
430
5,249
494
320
582
547
597
189
—
—
—
191
251
269
61
396
—
18,860

—
1,385

—
Jv

Jv
of
f
Jv
f
f
Jv
of
of
f
—
—
—
Jv
f
Jv
of
Jv
—
—

1980

1,100

Jemo Island
Kili Island®

Lae
Lib Island
Likiep
Majuro
Maloelap
Meyjit Island
Mili
Namorik
Namu
Rongelap’
Rongerik®
Taka
Taongi
Ujae
Ujelang®
Utrik
Wotho
Wotje
Residence not stated
Total

Sf

Population size

154
98
406
10,290
432
271
538
431
493
165
—
—
—
209
342
217
85
425
19
25,050

413
1,487
444
—
—_
887
—
542
72

489

237
98
481
11,791
614
325
763
617
654
235
—
—
—
309
d
336
101
535
—
30,889

“Data obtained from 1999 Marshall Islands Yearbook (see http://marshall.csu.edu.au/Marshalls/html/STATS/RMIYearbook 1998 —
99 pdf).
> There was no continuously resident population on Ailinginae. Eighteen Rongelap community members were exposed to Bravofallout
there.

© The Bikini community was relocated to Kili Island prior to the nuclear testing.
“The Enewetak community wasrelocated to Ujelang Atoll prior to the nuclear testing; they returned in 1980.
* Excluding non-Marshallese residents of Kwajalein Missile Range.
"This group includes the 64 persons who were present on Rongelap Island at the time of the Bravo test (Rongelap Island community),
the 18 persons exposed on Ailinginae to Bravo fallout, and 117 persons who were visiting the southern atolls at the time of the Bravo
test (Rongelap control group).
© There was no resident population on Rongerik. Twenty-eight U.S. military weather observers were exposed to Bravo fallout there.

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