Fifty-five of the 69 were on Rongelap Island and received estimated whole

body doses of 175 R plus possible doses of 700 to 1400 rem to their thyroids from the radioiodines, The remaining 14 (six were 1-10 years of
age) were visiting on Ailingnae, a nearby island, and received estimated
doses of 69 R whole body exposure, plus less certain but probably small
thyroid doses. None. of the six children who were on Ailingnae have thus
far developed nodules, go that the incidence of nodules among the 19
more heavily exposed on Rongelap when 1-10 years old is 13/19 or 68 percent. Two of the three adults were on Rongelap and one was on Ailingnae,

Thus far only six of the above, including the adult found to have cancer,
have been subjected to surgery. The current plans are to bring five of
the remaining 10 cases to Brookhaven for further diagnostic study and
possible surgery during May 1966. One is a 46-year-old adult woman and
the others are girls presently 13, 13, 13 and 20 years old, They will be
accompanied by the Rongelap schoolteacher who will act as interpreter, The
travel and treatment of these people has been developed with the cooperation
of the Honorable Wilfred Goding, High Commissioner, Trust Territory of the
Pacific Islands.
All these Marshallese presumably have been taking tetraiodothyronine, a

synthetic thyroid hormone, for the last seven months,

The intent of the

therapy is to prevent and/or cause regression of the nodules.
has been seen, but it is too soon to draw conclusions.

‘Some success

Forty children who were on Utirik at the time and received estimated doses
of 14 R plus proportionately smaller internal thyroid doses were examined

for nodular thyroids; none were found,

Among 194 unexposed controls who are now living on these islands, three
cases of thyroid nodules were found, all in adults more than 47 years.
Other forms of thyroid disease were not seen,
You will be kept informed of the progress of these studies; the next note=-

worthy item will be the clinical and possibly surgical findings in the
five Marshallese coming to Brookhaven.

1

twy

nape

_.

c, £: Dunham, M.D.

-Director

Division of Biology and Medicine

4338 Bree

poss”

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