a
On March
1,
INTRODUCTION
1954,
at Bikini Atoll,
BRAVO,
tests in the Castle series, was detonated.
the
first of six nuclear weapons
The BRAVO device caused substantial
surface contamination on inhabited atolls within a 2,000-square-mile area.
contaminated region was cigar shaped and
Rongerik,
included Ailinginae,
The
Rongelap,
and Ucirik Atolls which lay east of ground zero at distances from 60
to 300 miles.
The fallout on Rongelap,
thinned out to the extent that
On March 3,
1954,
initially visible at H+6 hours, had
it was no longer seen at H+!10 hours (G162).
the 64 residents of Rongelap Atoll and 18 residents of
Sifo Island, Ailinginae Atoll,
were evacuated.
157 Utirik Atoll residents also took place.
On March 3 and 4, evacuation of
During the first few weeks and at
least once every year from 1957 to the present, a Brookhaven National Laboratory
medical team, organized by the Department of Defense and by the Atomic Energy
Commission and its successor organizations, has provided medical examinations to
monitor the health of the persons initially affected by the fallout from the nuclear testing program, plus a control population.
Reports of their findings are
given in Cr56, Co58, Co59, Co60, Co62, Co63, Co65, Co67, Co70, Co75, and Co80.
The Utirikese and Rongelapese returned to their home atolls in June 1954
and in June 1957 respectively.
The earlier repatriation of Utirik Atoll was
based on the Tow level of external radiation exposure measured after the initial
3-month observation period (March to June 1954).
The Utirik population was not
examined by a Brookhaven medical team until March, 1957, when 144 people
received comprehensive physical examinations.
vey,
Cwo men,
removed
from Utirik for medical
Following the 1957, medical surreasons, were whole-body counted
at Argonne National Laboratory and provided urine samples for radiochemical analysis of
137),
s.
Four persons visited Argonne from Rongelap and, in addition,