MEDICAL SURVEY OF RONGELAP PEOPLE
EIGHT YEARS AFTER EXPOSURE TO FALLOUT
Introduction
The results of a medical survey of the people of
Rongelap in the Marshail Islands, carried out in
March 1962 at 8 years after the accident, are pre-
sented in this report. These people had been accidentally exposed to fallout radiation following a
detonation of a high yield thermonuclear device
during experiments at Bikini in the Pacific Proving
Grounds in March 1954. An unpredicted shift in
winds caused a deposition of significant amounts
of fallout on four inhabited Marshall Islands to
the east of Bikini (see Figure 1) and also on 23
Japanese fishermen aboard their fishing vessel,
the Lucky Dragon. Of the inhabitants of the island
of Rongelap, 105 nautical miles away from the detonation, 64 Yeceived the largest fallout exposure:
an estimated dose of 175 r of whole-body gamma
radiation, contamination of the skin sufficient to
result in beta burns, and slight internal absorption
of radioactive materials through inhalation and
ingestion. Another 18 Rongelap people away on
a nearby island (Ailingnae), where less fallout
occurred, received only an external gammadose of
about 69 r. There were 28 American servicemen
on the island of Rongerik further to the east who
received about the same amount of radiation as
did the Rongelap people on Ailingnae. Lastly, 157
Marshallese on Utirik Island, about 200 miles
further east, received about an estimated 14 r of
whole-body radiation. The fallout was not visible
on this island and no skin effects developed.
The exposed people were evacuated from these
islands by plane and ship about two days after the
accident and taken to Kwajalein Naval Base about
150 miles to the south, where they received extensive examinations for the following three months.
In view of the generally negative findings on the
American servicemen, they were later returned to
their duty stations. The Utirik people were also
allowed to return to their home island, where
radioactive contamination was slight enough to
allow safe habitation. Because Rongelap Atoil was
considered to be too highly contaminated, a tem-
porary village was constructed for the Rongelap
people on Majuro Atoll several hundred miles to
the south, where they lived for the following 344
years and were examined at yearly intervals by a
special medical team. In July 1957, after careful
evaluation of the radioactive contamination situation, Rongelap Island was considered safe for
habitation. A new village was constructed, and the
Rongelap people were moved there by Navy ship.
The annual medical surveys have since been
carried out on Rongelap Island.
A group of more than 100 Rongelap people,
who were relatives of the exposed people but had
been away from the island at the time of the acci-
dent, moved back with the Rongelap people to
their home island and have served as an ideal
comparison population for the studies. This number has since increased to about 200. Following
the initial survey of the Utirik people on Kwajalein in 1954, a repeat survey was carried out in
March 1957. In addition, during the past survey,
as in the previous surveys, a visit was made to
Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls for examination of a
number of Rongelap people, now residing at these
atolls, and also groups of children who represent
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Figure 1. Map of tallout area (March 1, 1954), Marshall Islands.