110 Health Physics August 2010, Volume 99, Number 2 and Kili Island, respectively, before the testing program began. Population data for all atolls and reef islands of the Marshall Islands at various times including the years of the nuclear testing period are presented in Table 2. Information on the dates of evacuation and on the places of relocation is provided in Table 3. Radiation absorbed doses to the thyroid, red bone e Irradiation of the blood-forming cells in the RBM was caused mainly by external exposure to gamma-emitting radionuclides but also by internal exposure to radiostrontiums, and would be expected to have increased the risk of leukemia, which has shown an especially strong relationship with radiation exposure in many epidemiologic studies; and e The stomach and colon walls can be highly exposedafter ingestion of fallout because many of the radionuclides produced by nuclear fission are highly insoluble, even in the gastro-intestinal tract, thereby irradiating the stomach and colon as they pass throughit. marrow (RBM), stomach wall, and colon wall were estimated for members of the 25 Marshallese population groups by age group (children under | y, 1-2 y, 3-7 y, 8-12 y, 13-17 y, and adults) and for the U.S. military personnel on Rongerik. Those specific organs and tissues were selected because they are expected to give rise to the largest number of cancers for reasons noted below: The skin was also a tissue potentially exposed to fallout radiation. Marshallese who received significant amounts of fallout directly onto their body, e.g., at Rongelap where skin “burns” were documented, would have received high skin doses primarily from beta e The thyroid gland, far more than any other organ, concentrates radioiodine, which is amply produced by detonations of nuclear weapons; Table 3. Locations of relocated communities on dates of the 20 nuclear tests considered and estimates of move dates (see footnotes). Populations and locations of exposures Test Date of test Rongelap Island community* Rongelap group exposed on Ailinginae® Yoke Dog Item Mike King Bravo Romeo Koon Union Yankee Nectar Zuni Flathead Tewa Cactus Fir Koa Maple Redwood Cedar 04/30/1948 04/08/1951 05/25/1951 11/01/1952 11/16/1952 02/28/1954 03/27/1954 04/07/1954 04/26/1954 05/05/1954 05/14/1954 05/28/1956 06/12/1956 07/21/1956 05/06/1958 05/12/1958 05/13/1958 06/11/1958 06/28/1958 07/03/1958 Rongelap Island Rongelap Island Rongelap Island Rongelap Island Rongelap Island Rongelap Island Kwajalein Kwajalein Kwajalein Kwajalein Majuro Majuro Majuro Majuro Rongelap Island Rongelap Island Rongelap Island Rongelap Island Rongelap Island Rongelap Island Rongelap Island Rongelap Island Rongelap Island Rongelap Island Rongelap Island Ailinginae Kwajalein Kwajalein Kwajalein Kwajalein Majuro Majuro Majuro Majuro Rongelap Island Rongelap Island Rongelap Island Rongelap Island Rongelap Island Rongelap Island Rongelap control group® Rongelap Rongelap Rongelap Rongelap Rongelap Majuro Majuro Majuro Majuro Majuro Majuro Majuro Majuro Majuro Rongelap Rongelap Rongelap Rongelap Rongelap Rongelap Island Island Island Island Island Island Island Island Island Island Island U.S. Military weather Utrik Bikini Enewetak observers community® community’ community® — — — — — Rongerik — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Utrik Utrik Utrik Utrik Utrik Utrik Kwajalein Kwajalein Kwajalein Kwajalein Kwajalein Utrik Utrik Utrik Utrik Utrik Utrik Utrik Utrik Utrik Kwajalein Kili Kili Kili Kili Kili Kili Kili Kili Kili Kili Kili Kili Kili Kili Kili Kili Kili Kili Kili Ujelang Ujelang Ujelang Ujelang Ujelang Ujelang Ujelang Ujelang Ujelang Ujelang Ujelang Ujelang Ujelang Ujelang Ujelang Ujelang Ujelang Ujelang Ujelang Ujelang “In May 1946, Rongelap population was evacuated temporarily to Lae Atoll, where no exposure occurred. On 3 March 1954, following the Bravotest, the population was evacuated from Rongelap Island (~H+51 h) to Kwajalein where they remained until ~5 May 1954 at which time they moved to Majuro. In June, 1957, the population returned to Rongelap where they remained until 1985, after which they moved to Kwajalein and Majuro. > Group of 18 Rongelap Island community membersvisiting Ailinginae at the time of the Bravo test on 1 March 1954. They were assumed to be on Rongelap prior to the Bravo test. The group was evacuated from Alinginae on 3 March 1954, (~H+51 h) to Kwajalein. They returned to Rongelap in 1957 with rest of Rongelap Island community. © Group of approximately 117 members of the Rongelap Island community who were absent from Rongelap at the time of Bravo. They were assumed to be on Majuro and to have remainedthere until 1957 when they rejoined the rest of the community. The term “control” group was derived from Brookhaven National Laboratory reports (BNL 1958). “ Twenty-eight U.S. military weather observers were stationed on Eniwetak Island, Rongerik Atoll prior to Bravo; they were evacuated on 3 March 1954, and did not return. * Following deposition of Bravo fallout, on 3 March 1954 (~H+67 h), the Utrik population was evacuated to Kwajalein; they returned 2 June 1954. "The Bikini people were evacuated to Rongerik in March, 1946. In March, 1947, they were moved from Rongerik to Kwajalein. In early November, 1948, they were moved to Kili Island where moststill live today. © In December 1947, the Enewetak community was moved to Ujelang. In 1980, some returned to Enewetak.