64 use of crab meatasa food item should continue to be avoided. Otherfoods, however, are responsible for the '**Cs levels found. Summary Medical surveys were carried out on the exposed people of Rongelap Island in March 1965 and March 1966. In 1965 the comparison population was also examined, and in 1966 the exposed population of Utirik Island was examined. the deaths occurred in older people with no obvious connection with radiation exposure. One death occurred in an older woman of the comparison population. The death rate has been higherin the exposed population than in the unexposed population, which may in part be relatéd to the larger percentage of older people originally in the exposed group. Birth rate has been about equal in the exposed and unexposed groups. No miscarriages or stillbirths were noied in the exposed is T qT T cc r™“. Rome MIT A, ‘ Fg HAPATION ANS * a aera pCif7g DRY r a . . t - T q r e s . AN os ON MUSCLE CORRECTED TO DATE SF COLLECTION 10 F COCONUT CRAB (BIRGUS LATRO) KABELLE ISLET RONGELAP ATOLL [oo Pa 1 1954 1955 19$6 1957 “ al 1 Wry syne g . Bette igure aga . 1° j 4 4 ie. + 1958 1959 1960 COLLECTION —- 1961 \ 1962 1. The dosimetric calculation for radiation dose to the thyroid from internal absorption of radioactive iodines from the fallout was reviewed. Early thyroid studies including protein-bound iodine determinations, iodoprotein levels, dietary iodine and urinary excretion of iodine, thyroid uptake ofradioiodine, and serum cholesterol levels were reviewed. children of the Ailingnae, Utirik, or unexposed ‘ 1 THYROID FINDINGS haveincreased to 18 cases, 16 with nodules and 2 . I exception of thyroid pathology) did not appear to be significantly different in the exposed people as compared with the unexposed population. The trends toward growth retardation in the exposed children, previously noted, have continued. No leukemia or cancer(except one thyroid cancer) wasdetected. with hypothyroidism. It is noteworthy that in the higher exposure group thyroid abnormalities occurred in 79% of the children exposed at < 10 years of age, as compared with no cases in the DATE OF COLLECT" ION 3 : * “x‘ © PHYSICAL FINDINGS Thyroid abnormalities during the past 3 years T *9Gr N SHELETON COAPECTED TC cers MENS POCLES peTyr Gee é . L o> TO similar to those in the Rongelap group. distribution of physical abnormalities (with the During the past 2 years tl.c Rongelap people have been generally in good health with satisfactory nutritional staius. No unusualepidemics ofdisease occurred. Overthe 2-year period 2 deaths had occurred in the Ailingnae group (originally exposed tc 69 rads). No autopsy was obtained, but 1 posed women. The people of Utirik Island appeared to have been in good health and reported few serious medical happenings over the past 3 years. The birth and death rates in this group appearedto be Asnoted in previous surveys, tne variety and INTERVAL MEDICAL HISTORY “t women duringthe past 2 years, but 5 miscarriages occurred in unexposed women. No abnormalbabies were born in the exposed group, but two (hydrocephalic and mongoloid) were born to two unex- 1963 1964 DATE Figure 71. Analyses for *"Sr, ''"Cs, and “"Co in coconut crabs of northern Rongelap Atoll since 1954 (Courtesy of E. Held, University of Washington.) groups. Only one adult in the Ailingnae group developed a thyroid nodule. Several nodules were noted in the thyroid glands of older Utirik and unexposed adults of Rongelap. Surgery was performed in !1 cases: 9 children and 1 adult were found to have adenomatousgoiters, and | adult a mixed papillary and follicular carcinomaofthe thyroid gland with localized metastasis. The gross and microscopic appearanceof these lesions was described and depicted. Correlation of growthretardation in exposed children with thyroid pathology was indicated by the recent findingof definite