: BUDGET AND REPORTING CODE | OAte

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TASK TITLE

Dose Reassessment for Rongelap and

Utirik

CONTRACTOR SAME

as.
Associated Universictie
19a.
Facility Reculraments

Inc.

GX-91-92-01l-1l-(b)

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_CODE

(003010)

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3IN NUMBER

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{TASK NO.

REPARED

G4/02/79
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REV. 20.

0

It is anticipated that work for this proposal will use exiscing Laboratory facilities and site ucility services.
19b.

Pubdlicarions.
None

19c.

Pursdose.
To look for correlactons between the incidence of thyroid nodules in the

inhabitants of Rongelap and Utirik Islands (Marshall Islands) and the
reassessed dose estimates.

This study will fuse together all available information on fallout from

the 3RAVO test and using advanced anaivtical techniques (now available) derive
realistic dose astimates =o the inhabicants of Rongelap and Utirik. The results should provide information cowards elucidating the whole question of lowlevel erfeccs cf radiation.

me

19d.

3ackzround.

Incidence of shyrcid nodules, benign and malignant, in the exposed popunations of Utirix and Rongelap has indicated critical differences in correspondence between nodule incidence and thvroid dose Zor the popularcions. The
estimated external dose received from =he cime fallouc began to the time of
evacuation shows that the Rongelap populacion received an external dose (175
rads) which was about 13 times chac for the Uririk porulacion (14 rads), and
the thvroid dose was about 10 times larger, whereas che incidence of thyroid

nodules in the two populations were not significantly different.

A preliminary study has indicaced thar the critical area of investigation

that couid sned light is the period during the fallout and evacuation for boch
the islands.

In addition,

the face tnoac the Ucirik population returned within

120 davs following evacuarion, wnereas che Rongelap sopulacion returned only

atcer three years, requires that we look closely at the Utirik population in

terms of a longer exposure period, both incernal and external.

would,

Further scudies

therefore, have to concentrate on the re-examination of all available

data in reports issued sv various agencies during that period, consultations

with scientific personnel involved ar thac time, idencifying the areas of uncertainty, and using appropriate computer arograms cto analyze the data.
The
end result will anable us to look for correlacions between the incidence of
tuiyroid nodules and che reassessed dose estimatas.

CK 103

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