ratios of adult average body burden for 6570,

calculation.

995,

and 13744 were used in the

Ratios were estimated for the period after the Ronge lap

adult body burdens reached a maximum value.

The Rongelap-to-Utirik ratio, 2.6

+ 0.39, has been relatively constant since 1958.
The initial increase in 1958 in the 1376, average body burden for Rongelap

adults (see Fig. 2) was due to dietary intake of

137

Cs and a small intake of

13765 from the air and water due to above ground nuclear tests in the Marshall
Islands during 1958.

The subsequent drop in the 1959 1376, body burden may have

been due to increased use of imported food and the conclusion of the testing.
The reason for an increasing 1376, body burden at Rongelap during the 1960's was
uncertain.

Residual contamination from the Hardtack weapons testing program and

subsequent incorporation of 1376, into diet items was one hypothesis.
The Hardtack Phase I series of tests was conducted during 1958, just prior

to an increase in the exposure rate at Rongelap Atoll (Un59).

Small amounts of

fallout from the CACTUS, YELLOW WOOD, and HICKORY experiments in this series:
reached Rongelap.

However, several observations support the conclusion that

1376, from this series was insignificant relative to 13765 from the Castle series.

First, the peak 1376. body burden of a similar population at Utirik

occurred three years after the initiating event (Castle BRAVO in 1954) while the
1965 peak 1376, body burden at Rongelap followed the Hardtack series by seven
years.

Secondly, the peak exposure rate on Rongelap which occurred during the

Hardtack series in 1958 was about 10,000 times less than the peak exposure rate
following BRAVO.

These facts suggest that debris from the Hardtack series was

not a major factor influencing the Rongelap 1376, body-burden pattern during the
mid 1960's.

In addition to Hardtack series fallout, the adult average body-

burden pattern would have also been influenced by 1) world-wide fallout
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