Up to the 1940s the Marshall islanders,
like most other Micronesians, were self-sufficient
living off the ocean and land.
we
Brookhaven resident physician in
cers among the Utink population.
thyroid cancer at Utirik have
strone:s shown that the theorv was
wrong. Kotrady wrote in a stinging
medical teams from the islands. Not
the Marshalls. “Nowthe facts of the
eritigque of the ERDA medical pro-
gram. ‘The people ask if this thyroid
problem has suddenlyoccurred is it
not possthle that the experts have
been rong for sO many vears and
that mere problems will occur in the
future?”
Despite the inability of the AEc’s
“eXperts to predict the thyroid can-
they have adamantly barred outside
until the Rongelapese and others re-
fused to undergo the 1972 sec medi-
cal examinations unless independen’
doctors participated were two doctors added to the asec team for that
examination.
Every year since 1984, the sc
and later ERDA medical teams have
examined the Marshallese people.
and every vear they reassure them of
their good heaith. When the people
eventually began asking. “If nothing
is wrong with us, why do you keep
coming back every vear to examine
us?" ERDa replied that if was a pre-
cautionary measure.
Although the AgC.ERDA
has
treated the Marshallese tor 24 sears.
a studybv a special committee ofthe
Congress of Micronesia stated.
"Time and again the committee
found that the people did not understand wavrhirg about their exposure,
the possible effects on themselves
and to their cnildren and on their environment.”
Protesting what they considered
inadequate medical care and to
underline the monumental cultural
clash between the U.S. medical personnel and the islanders. the
Ctinkese refused a quarterly ERDA
medical checkup on December 1976,
and the ERDaA physician was re-
called. “The people of Utirik are
very distressed and angryas a resuit
of the radiation.” the chiefs of the
atoll wrote the Energy Research and
7
(left) Nuclear bomb crater. Enewetak
- Atoll. below) Leaving Bikini.
‘. carrving pandanus leaves to build new
houses on Rongerik. Suffering from
malnutrition, the Bikinians are
evacuated to 2 tent city on Kwajaiein.
February 1979
The Bulletin 13