Table 3: Major thyroid nodules types*, total (internal and external) mean thyroid-absorbed dose, and time from exposure (1954) to time of surgery, grouped by age.** Column A B Cc D E Type of Ratio Benign Percent Total Thyroid Years to Sung 62 4 62 3289+ /-1323. 2490 3289+ /-1323 14+)-4 15 14+]-4 Nodule (n) Cancer of (n) Dose +/-SD + /- Rong <10 yr (n= 26) Benign (16)*** Cancer (1) Adenomatous (16) nodules 16:1 Rong >10 yr (n=54) Benign (5) Cancer (4) Adenomatous(4) nodules 1.25:1 9 7 7 856 + /-649 1415+ /-150 970 + /-689 19+ 9-5 20+ §-9 19+ 9-5 Utirik <10 yr (n=57) Benign (7) Cancer (2) Adenomatous(3) nodules 3.5:1 12 4 5 509 + /-137 526 478+ /-178 28+ §-3 26 28+ 9-3 Utirik >10 yr (n= 102) Benign (12) Cancer (3) Adenomatous (7) nodules 4.0:1 11 3 7 198+ /-41 168+ /-6 171+/-0 24+ 9-4 22+ §-8 23+ 9-8 * If two thyroid nodules occurred in the sameindividual only the "higher grade” nodule was couated. ** Ten years of age is used as cut-off for the younger group because Rongelap children below this hee received a mean thyroid-absorbed dose of >2000 cGy and thereby sustained extensive thyroid injury, factor that influenced nodule type. All others received lower doses. Two in Utero Rongelap children vfho received ’ <2000 cGy are not included in the table. *** "Benign" nodules include adenomatous nodules, adenomas, and occult papillary carcinomas. nodules over? Inspection of Fig. 4a shows that the answerto (1) is in the affirmative, at least for the Rongelap people. No adenomatous nodule has been found at surgery for 12 years. The - detection of adenomatous nodules spanned 15 years beginning 9 years after exposure. For the Utirik group, detection spanned 12 years, beginning 19 years after exposure. For question (2), the answer is less clear. Although only 1 neoplastic nodule (a carcinoma) has been diagnosed in the past 10 years in the Rongelap population, several have been found in the Utirik group during the same period Fig. 4b). A striking observation is the virtuallyfidentical percentof neoplastic lesions that have occupred over thirty-six years of observation in the twa exposed groups, being 8 individuals for the 86 Rongelap persons (9.3%) and 15 individuals for the 957 Utirik persons (9.0%). Given the great differences between the two groupsin total-body and thyroidabsorbed radiation doses, it is clear that [1) other factors, such as the possibility of thyroid cpll killing 18