Save convenience to persons past that point.

Human error or misjudgment was also

responsible for underestimating the potential yield of “Bravo," and poor judgment
resulted in the Rongelapese remaining on their island for two days, and the
Utirikese for three days after the explosion-~rather than only one day.

Whether

these actions and events were the result of human error, poor judgment, miscalculation,
and faulty assumptions, or whether they were in reality stepsorphasesina_
conscious and known plan is a decision the Committee will leave up to the reader
of this report.
As to the medical aspects, the Committee also finds that human error and
faulty assumptions and miscalculations have pervaded the annual examinations and
conservative and minimizing attitudes have tended to obscure both 1 ie

;eriousness

L-.

ot. the original exposures and the significance of later findings which are related
to irradiation.

While the Committee finds no gross or flagrant violation of the

hme

physician, there have been tests and studies of the people involved which did not
necessarily prove of direct benefit to the people,

three-year report:

This can be shown in the

(p. 22)

“The group of irradiated Marshallese people offers a most valuable source
of data on human beings who have sustained injury from all the possible
modes of exposure-- . . Even though... the radioactive contamination of
Rongelap Island is considered perfectly safe for human habitation, the

levels of activity are higher than those found in other inhabited locations
in the world, The habitation of these people on the island will afford most

valuable ecological radiation data on human beings.”
and in the four-year report:

(p. 32)

"The habitation of these people on Rongelap Islands affords the opportunity for a

Since only small
most valuable ecological radiation study on human beings.
various
the
studies,
tracer
for
amounts of radioisotopes are necessary
through the
soil
the
from
traced
be
can
island
the
radionuclides present on
distributions,
organ
and
tissue
the
where
food and into the human being,
biological half-times, and excretion rates can be studied,"

Ld

hand

supposed to serve as a guideline in treating patients under the care of a

151
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=

Lenard

a

ae

Lee

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general principles of the Hippocratic oath, which is, as generally understood,

Select target paragraph3