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Mr, John T. Conway
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Dear Mr, Conway:
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The following Summarizes the current status on the incidence
of thyroid disorders among the people of Rongelap Island who
were exposed to fallout on March 1, 1954, Dr. Conard, Medical
Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, conducted the
most recent survey in March 1968,
The results of the 1967 survey were reported to you by letter
dated May 12, 1967, At that time we indicated that 17 peopie
had developed thyroid nodules, 11 of which had been treated
surgically.
In the most recent survey, 2 more cases of thyroid nodules
in children who were exposed to fallout on Rongelap when they
were less
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than ten years of age were found,
This brings the
total number of cases of thyroid abnormalities in the 67
living Rongelapese to 21; of the 19 children in the more
heavily exposed group who were less than 10 years of age at
time of exposure, 17, or 90% have developed thyroid
abnormalities.
It was decided that 4 cases should be brought to the Brookhaven
National Laboratory for complete medical evaluation and, if
necessary, surgery.
Preparations for their transportacion and
reception are now taking place. Three are people having thyroid
nodules which had not responded to thyroid hormone therapy.
The fourth is a 29-year-old woman with an unidentified tumor
in the neck lateral to the gland.
In the past, 1l Marshallese
have undergone surgery; one woman exposed as an adult wes founda
to have cancer of the thyroid, while 10 who were exposed when
less than 10 years of age had benign adenomatous goiters,