~2Se A.
On March 1, 1954, a thermonuclear weapon of about 15 megatons total
yield was detonated on a coral surface at Bikini Atoll in the
Marshall Islands.
Because of a shift in wind direction, the fallout
pattern differed slightly from the one predicted.
As a result,
radioactive particles fell on Rongelap Atoll about 100 miles east
of Bikini.
As soon as the Americans learned what had happened,
they evacuated the Rongelap population to Kwajalein, 300 miles
away.
66 Q.
A naval medical team flew to Xwajalein from Washington.
What was the estimated whole body dose received?
The average whole body dose was approximately 175 roentgens.
76
Q.
What medical assistance has AEC given?
A.
Since the time of the incident the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and
the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands have sponsored annual
medical surveys of the exposed people.
Q.
Who runs these surveys?
A.
The surveys are headed by Dr. Robert A. Conard of the Medical Research
Center at AEC's Brookhaven National Laboratory.
Q.
What will be done with the three cases discovered this year?
Arrangements are being made to bring the three patients to the Medical
Research Hospital at Brookhaven National Laboratory for further examina-
tion and treatment.
The three earlier cases received surgical aid in
1964,
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